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MEMOIRS 

OF THE 

prVfessionjl life 

Of the Right Honourable 

HORATIO LORD VISCOUNT 

NELSON, 

VlCE'AjhimAL OF TEE WHITE, 

Knight of the Order of the Bath, Duke of Bronte in Sicily, Grand Cross 

of the Orders of Ferdinand and of Merit, and Knight of the 

Imperial Order of the Ciescent. 

COMPREHENDING 
Authentic and circumstantial Details of his 

GLORIOUS JCHIEVEMENTS 

UNDER tIi'e 

SBriM) Mm, 

And a Sketch of his ?arliameutary Conduct and Private Charader. 

WITH 

BIOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS OF 

CONTEMPORARY NAVAL OFFICERS. 



BY 

JOSHUA WHITE, Esq. 



' My son though alone is brave : Oscar is like a beam of the sky ! Come 
ye dim ghosts of my fathers, and behold my deeds in war: I may fall, 
but I will be renowned ! Where the danger threatens I rejoice in the 
slgrmi" . ObSlAN. 



SECOND EDITION. 

CONSIDERABLY IMPROVED. 



ALBION PRL SS PRINTED 1 

rUBLIS.HED BY JAMES CUNDEE, 
Ivy-Lane, Paternoster-Row, London. 



1806. 



DA 87 
./ 






TO THE 
RIGHT HONORABLE 

CHARLES LORD BARHAM, 

ADMIRAL OF THE RED, 
FIRST LORD COMMISSIONER OF THE ADMIRALTY OF 

GREAT BRITAIN; 

UNDEIt WHOSE AUSPICES THE GLORIOUS VICTORY OFF 
TRAFALGAR WAS ACCOMPLISHED, 

THIS WORK 

IS DEDICATED, WITH THE GREATEST RESPECT, 
BY 

HIS OBEDIENT SERVANT, 

THE AUTHOR. 



/ J/f^ 



JDFERTISEMENT 

TO THE 

SECOND EDITION. 

W ITH the most grateful sense of the approbation 
of his labors, demonstrated by the uncommonly rapid sale -~ 
of a large impression of this work, the author takes the 
liberty of directing the attention of the public to the im- 
provements which will be found in this second Edition, 
Stimulated by their patronage to increased exertions, he 
has not only been careful to interweave into it all the 
authenticated facts which have transpired since its Jirst 
publication, and to add much valuable and interesting 
matter in the form of notes, but has also enriched it with 
many new biographical particulars of distinguished naval 
.-flRcers whose history is connected with that of the lamented 
h€ro, Lord Nelson. 

V ii such additional recommendations he submits to a 
Brit publis this improved edition of his work, claiming 
t'^^'x indulgence for such imperfections as the recent date 
feji oome events of which it treats may have^ rendered tina- 
voidable. Anxious to do justice to a subject so dear to the 
bosom of every Englishman, the author has spared no 
labor nor industry in the collection of information. As many 
individuals may, undoubtedly, be in possession of facts 
which have not come to his knowledge, he ventures to soli- 
cit the communication of any circumstances that may tend 
still farther to illustrate the history or character of that 
powerful, yet humble instrument in the hands of Providence 
for chastising the enemies of his country, who is the chief 
subject of the following Memoirs. 

Any favors of this nature, addressed to the Publisher, 
will be thankfully received, and respectfully attended to. 



FAC SIMILE 

OF THE HAND-WRITING OF THE LATE LORD NELSON, 

As every relic, however trifling, of a man so extraordi- 
nary as Lord Nelson, cannot fail to prove interesting, we 
lay before our readers a fac simile of his hand-writing, 
taken from original letters. 







It is a truth universally acknowledged, that nothing 
more strongly tends to cherish those virtues which 
honour human nature, than the memoirs of characters 
who Jiave been particularly distinguished by them. 
Independent of the interest which they never fail to 
excite, they scatter in generous mind$ seeds of emu- 
lotion, which spring up, and in time produce noble 
fruit. 

The following pages contain a faithful record of the 
deeds of one, zvho, as a hero and a man, holds forth 
a glorious example of the sublime elevation to which 
the human mind is permitted to aspire. The foun- 
dation of this envied distinction to zvhich he attained 
must be sought in those stern principles of virtue, in 



VlU PREPACK. 

those prof ound sentiments of piety, xvhich he iinhihed, 
from his venerable parent. With the farmery as his 
compass, and the latter, as his sheet-anchor, he em- 
harked early in the voyage of life — a voyage of un- 
paralleled brilliancy and success, 

With unwearied assiduity he applied himself to the 
study of all the minutice of the profession in which he 
had engaged. By study he acquired skill, and by 
practice he obtained experience, zvhile he perfected 
himself at the same time in the virtues of constancy, 
patience, and perseverance, which he found in the 
sequel such ample occasion to exercise. 

By long obedience he became qualified to command. 
Never did he neglect to avail himself of an opportu- 
nity of acquiring honourable distinction ; but it was 
only in the middle of the last war that he burst upon 
the world as a liuninary of the first ?nagnitude. At the 
battle of A SOU KIR he rose like a sun in the east; 
and, like the sun too after a summer*s day of glory, 
he set in the zvest at the battle of TRAFALGAR, leav- 
ing the ocean in a blaze as he went down, and in dark- 
ness when he had descended. In ages to come, ivhen the 
stranger who visits our island shall enquire for the 
monument of Nelson, the answer will be : ^^ Behold 
his country ivhich he saved,^' 

Nor was Britain alone indebted to his talents and 
to his prowess ; foreign nations vied with each other 
in expressing their gratitude to him, and never did 
individual receive so many testimonies of thankful 
acknowledgment. While he chastised the enemies of 



PREFAC2. IX 

his country y his exertions zvere iyitariahly employed 
in repressing the spirit of anarchy and rapacity, 
xvhich they so industriously disseminated ; and he may 
undoubtedly be considered as an instrument chosen by 
that God to zvhom he never failed to ascribe all the 
glory of his successes, to blast the projects, and to 
check the zvild career of a monster, who has been too 
long the common disturber of human repose. 

Such zvas Nelson, the pride of his country, and an 
ornament to human nature; xvhose exploits and zvhosc 
virtues must be to every Briton a subject of lively in* 
terest and proud exultation. These I have endeavour- 
ed to delineate in the following pages. No pains 
have been spared to render the perfor7nance as com" 
plete as possible ; and I trust I shall not be found to 
exaggerate, if I assert, that it ivill afford new in" 
terest in repeated perusal, and may, at any future 
period, be consulted with advantage, as matter of 
useful reference. To render it still more worthy of 
public patronage, biographical notices of many dis- 
tinguished contemporary naval ajfcers, mentioned in 
these Memoirs, have been subjoined, and will, it is 
hoped, be looked upon as an interesting accompani- 
ment. 

To the seaman this work zvill, it is presumed, prove 
more particularly acceptable, as nothing has been 
neglected that could rnake its utility to him as exten- 
sive as possible. All the practical information, con- 
nected with the professional career of the idol of 
Mm British navy, has been carefidly introduced, and 
b 



X PREFACE. 

plans of the three'^hrious engagements, hy which hr 
established his claim to irnmoj^tality, are represent- 
€d in the like number of engravings, 

Hoiv far I have fuljilled the object I proposed to 
myself it is now for the public to decide ; conscious 
that my best endeavours have been cheerfully exerted 
for their gratification, I submit the work to their 
Judgment, hoping that it may be the means of stimu- 
lating others to emulate his virtues and his achieve- 
ments ; to live as lie lived, and, when their duty calls^ 
them, to die as he died I 

J.W, 



*#* In the Official Letter from Lord Nelson to Evan Nepean, Esq. rela* 
tive to liis first attack on Boulogne, p. 238. the name of Captain FyerSf 
of the Soyal Artillery, who was unfortunately wounded in that gallant 
enterprize, is spelt jF/Yjr^rij which we take the preseot apportunity to 
correct. 



Directions for placing the Plates, 

Page 

The Portrait to face the Title 

Plan of the Battle of Aboukir 1 13 

Copenhagen 196 

Trafalgar 304 



XI 

INTRODUCTORY LINES. 

BY W. CAREY, ESQ. 

OH, lov'd and cherish'd as thy country's boast 
Thy voice a triumph, and thy name a host I 
O gallant chief in battle long renown'd, 
In death by Victory and glory crown'd ! 
While we tliy fall with fruitless grief deplore. 
Our pride, our brave defender now no more 1 
Our prostrate foes, tho' broken by defeat. 
Look up, forgetful of their vanquish' d state. 
Throw off their fears, their future conquests see> 
And deem our fleets and armies lost in thee ! 

*' Presumptuous hope !" Britannia proudlj^ cries. 
Indignant lightnings flashing from her eyes : 
" What though my hero, late your country's dread> 
" My mighty hero slumbers wiih the dead ; * 
" Tho' he my conq'ring navies now no more 
'• Shall lead to triumph on your frighted shore, 
*' No more <hall launch my thunders on the flood 
*' And dye the ocean with your streaming blood : 
** Yet think not long to 'scape the vengeance due, 
*' A thousand chiefs his gallant course pursue, 
'' A thousand heroes equal honors claim ~ 
" And emulate his dangers and his fame ; 
" With pious tears upon his shade they call 
" And swear to perish or avenge his fall. 

*' Fly then in time, from sure destruction fly, 

" And safely vaunting in your harbors lie. 

*' Should all your anuaments renew'd again 

*' With thrice-told numbers dare attempt the main, 

*' Should they my people to the conflict brave, 

*' No flight shall skreen them and no force shall sav» 

*' My fearless sons your number will despise, 

" And every Briton will a Nelson rise. 

'^ His martial spirit in their van shall sweep, 

" And sun-bright glory lead them o'er the deep ; 

'•' Pale fear shall freeze your trembling crews too late, 

'' In vain your efforts to avert your fate, 

*' On ships and men consuming fires shall fall, 

" And one tremendous ruin bury all. 

*' But oh ! what honors, what immortal fame, 
" Shall Europe consecrate to Nelson's name. 

6 



^11 INTRODUeTORY LINES. 

*' Fir'd with the glorious theme, thro* ev'r^' climc 

^' Sball radiant Genius wing her flight sublime. 

*' The Muse divine in sweet majestic lays 

" His shining deeds amid the stars shall raise, 

*' While safe on earth from ev'ry wasting rage, 

*' His virtues flourish in th' historic page. 

'* With \ohy emulation in his praise 

*' The plastic arts a monument shall raise ; 

*' The statue warm with life, the breathing bust, 

*' Thetrophied urn, shall grace his sacred dust; 

*' The magic pencil shall recal to life 

*' My hero's form amid the bloody strife ; 

*' High in the front the god-like chief shall glovr, 

" And scatter lightnings on the raging foe. 

*' In mournful change the artist shall display 

" The dear-bought glories of his final day; 

*' With many a chief, in heavy woe around, 

*' And many a tear fast streaming o'er his wound, 

*' How sweetly sleeps the hero in his grave, 
" In death lamented by the wise and brave ! 
" When the frail canvas, faithless to its trust, 
" Shall lose his form and mingle with the dust, 
*' When the time-moulder'd stone no more can tell 
■'*" How brave he fought, he conquer'd, and he fell : 
" More bright through years his mem'ry shall survive, 
" And in the bosom of the nations live. 
" The aged matron and the tender maid 
'' With grateful tears shall bless his mighty shade, 
"^ Sires yet unborn, his glories shall proclaim, 
" And babes be taught to lisp his honor'd name*.'* 



* Among the various effusionsof poetic genius, whxh the late im- 
portant event has excited, this piece, it is presumed, lays moie iha« 
Ordinary claim to the attention of the reader. 



THE 
PROFESSIONAL LIFE 



OF THE LATE 



LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 



CHAP. I. 



FROM HIS BIRTH, 1758, TO THE YEAR 1790. 

Juvenile years of Lord Nelson. — He enters into the naval 
service. — Voyage to the West Indies. — His skill in pi- 
lotage.— Accompanies Captain Lutwidge in the voyage 
of discovery towards the North Pole.— Anecdote of his 
intrepidity.— Goes to the East Indies. — Appointed acting 
Lieutenant of the Worcester. — Receives his commission 
as Lieutenant of the Lowestoffe.— Proceeds to Jamaica. 
— Removed to the Bristol. — Appointed to the command 
of the Badger brig.— Obtains post-rank.— Assists at the 
reduction of Fort Juan.— Returns to England on account 
of ill health. — Sails with a convoy for Newfoundland. — 
Proceeds to the West Indies. — Visits France. — Ap- 
pointed to the command of the Leeward Island station.— 
His conduct with regard to the Americans. — His mar- 
riage. — ^Returns to England.-His retirement atBurnham. 

&INCE the foundation of England's maritime 
greatness, never has any name blazed forth with 
such glory in her annals as the immortal name of 
Nelson, and never, perhaps, has any nation pro- 
duced an individual more justly entitled to re- 
nown. Whether we consider his ardent and dis- 

B 



18 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

interested patriotism, his undaunted intrepidity, 
his promptitude both in decision and execution, 
his patient perseverance, his extraordinary mo- 
desty, unaffected piety and unparalleled achieve- 
ments, or the qualities of his heart, generous, 
tender, affectionate, and benevolent, we are at a 
loss for terms sufficiently strong to. express our 
admiration of a character so truly dignified and 
distinguished. When we farther reflect that his 
great soul had to struggle against complicated 
evils to which nature or chance had subjected 
him, that though clogged with a body oppressed, 
emaciated, exhausted with sickness, suffering and 
fatigue, his mind soared above all the inconve- 
niencies of mortality, and seemed animated with 
new energies, in proportion as his dangers and his 
difficulties increased, we shall almost be tempted 
to look upon him as something more than human. 
Educated in the school of hardy enterprize, no 
perils could appal, no disappointments could dis- 
courage him in the prosecution of his purposes. 
Influenced by no motive, save the welfare of his 
country, and the desire of glory, he rose by re- 
gular gradations, as his sphere of action became 
more enlarged, from achievement to achievement, 
the last invariably eclipsing the former, till he at 
length filled the whole earth with his fame, and 
raised the influence and the reputation of Britain 
to a height before unprecedented. 



LORD NELSON. 19 

Butj alas ! the idol of his country is no more ! 
He has closed his career of glory by a work which 
will place his name so high on the tablet of im- 
mortality, that succeeding patriots can only gaze 
with enthusiasm, scarcely hoping to reach the 
envied elevation ; while a nation's tears, to the 
latest period of time, will drop upon the page of 
history that records the fall of the hero. " Wept, 
lov'd> and honor'd,'' he fell in the arms of Vic- 
tory, who was twining fresh laurels round the 
brows of her favorite son, bequeathing to his 
country his glory, and to the world the brilliant 
example of his transcendent virtues. To trace a 
faithful picture of his actions and exploits in his 
progress towards the attainment of that glory, 
and to exhibit an accurate delineation of those 
virtues, is the object of the following pages. 

Horatio was the fourth son of the venerable 
Edmund Nelson, rector of Burnham Thorpe, in 
the county of Norfolk, by Miss Catherine Suck- 
ling, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Suckling, preben- 
dary of Westminster. His father's family had 
been long resident at Hilborough, in the same 
county, of which living the Nelsons have, for a 
considerable period, been the patrons. His mo- 
ther was the grand-daughter of the late Sir 
Charles Turner, of Warham, who married the 
sister of Sir Robert Walpole, and was of course 
related to the noble families of Walpole, Choi- 



20 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

mondeley, and Townshend. Her ancestors have 
been seated at Woodton, in Norfolk, nearly three 
centuries. 

The parsonage-house of the rectory of Burn- 
ham, is rendered illustrious as the birth-place of 
Horatio Nelson. He came into the world on the 
29th of September, 1758. The first rudiments 
of education were instilled into his aspiring mind 
at the High School of Norwich, whence he was 
afterwards removed to North Walsham. At this 
early period of life he imbibed from his father 
and his preceptors such principles of religion, 
honor, and morality, as were indelibly impressed 
on his mind, and laid the foundation of that spirit 
of unaffected piety, which has so eminently dis- 
tinguished him, in all the perilous and trying situ- 
ations to which he was afterwards subjected. 

In the tender years of infancy, he, doubtless, 
exhibited to the eye of his observant parent many 
traits indicative of the daring hardihood which 
formed such a conspicuous feature of his charac- 
ter. Of these few are on record ; the following 
anecdote has, however, been preserved : Being on 
a visit when quite a child, at his grand-mother's 
at Hilborough, he, one day, went out a bird's- 
nesting, with a companion of about his own age. 
The hour of dinner arrived, but Horatio never 
made his appearance. The old lady^ became 
alarmed, and dispatched messengers different 



LORD NELSON. 21 

ways in quest of him. The young ramblers were, 
at length, discovered under a hedge, counting 
over the spoils of the day. His grand-mother 
began to scold him for being absent without per- 
mission, and concluded with saying, " I wonder 
f€ar did not drive you home." — *' Madam, (re- 
plied Horatio, innocently,) I never saw fear.'' 

Our young hero was not allowed sufficient time 
to receive a finished education ; but what he want- 
ed in learning was, in the sequel, amply compensate 
edby natural good sense and talents, aided by early 
experience and deep reflection. In 1770, being 
then twelve years of age, he was taken from the 
school, at North Walsham, by his uncle, Captain 
Maurice Suckhng, * who received him on board 
his own ship, she Raisonable, of 64} guns. An 
altercation, relative to the Falkland Islands, just 
then portended hostilities with Spain ; but the 
misunderstanding being soon adjusted, the Rai- 



* Captain Suckling commanded the Dreadnought, in the 
West Indies, in the month of October, 1757, when, in com- 
pany with Captain Forrest, of the Augusta, and Captain 
Langdon, of the Edinburgh, they attacked, near Cape 
Francois, seven French ships, three of which were of the 
liae. In this encounter the Dreadnought had 59 men kil- 
led and wounded. Tn April, 1775, Captain Suckling suc- 
ceeded Sir Hugh Palliser as Comptroller of the Navy, and, 
in 1778, was elected Member of Parliament for Ports- 
mouth, He died in the month of July^ the same year. 



22 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

sonnable was paid off. With such an excellent 
guide as his uncle, he would undoubtedly have 
made a rapid progress in the path of honour ; but 
as circumstances prevented him from enjoying the 
benefit of his instructions, Captain Suckling plac- 
ed him on board a West-India ship, under the 
care of Mr. John Rathbone, who had served un- 
der him in the Dreadnought. After having made 
one voyage, he was received by his uncle, in July 
1772, on board the Triumph, then lying at Chat- 
ham. 

By his voyage to the West Indies Horatio had 
gained a considerable practical knowledge of sea- 
manship, but Captain Suckling discovered with 
great concern that he had conceived a strong a- 
version to the Ptoyal Navy. His firmness, added 
to his thorough knowledge of the human heart, 
enabled him to employ the means of combating 
v;ith success this unreasonable antipathy of his 
inexperienced nephew ; and though it required 
much time and trouble to reconcile him to the 
duty of a king's ship, and to subdue his prejudices, 
yet they at length yielded to the influence of good 
example, and to the principles which his worthy 
father had early instilled into his mind. The 
ambition of becoming a thorough-bred seaman, 
which the young Horatio in an eminent degree 
possessed, was the instrument by which Captain 
Suckling attempted and effected this revolution. 



LORD NELSON. 23 

He held out as a reward to the aspiring mariner, 
that if he attended with diligence to his duty, he 
should be permitted to go in the cutter and deck- 
ed long-boat, attached to the ship of the com- 
manding officer at Chatham. This operated on 
the mind of his nephew as he wished, and the 
consequence was, that young Nelson became an 
excellent pilot for vessels of that class which sail- 
ed from Chatham to the Tower of London, or 
down the Swin Channel to the North Foreland. 
Each subsequent trial of navigating difficult pas- 
sages inspired him with a sense of his own ability, 
and created that confidence in himself which is 
the essential characteristic of a fearless and un- 
daunted mind. 

Early in the year 1773, two vessels were fitted 
out by government for a voyage of discovery to- 
wards the north pole. Its object was to ascertain 
how far it was possible to sail in that direction, 
to decide for ever the long- agitated question con- 
cerning the practicability of a north-east passage 
into the Pacific Ocean, aiid to make such astro- 
nomical observations as might prove of service to 
navigation. The Race-horse and Carcase bomb- 
ketches were fitted out expressly for this expedi- 
tion ; the command of the former was given to 
Captain Phipps, (afterwards Lord Mulgrave) and 
the latter to Captain (now admiral Lutwidge.) — 
A voyage in which so much was to be seen and 



24 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

learned, excited the ardent curiosity and enter- 
prising genius of young Nelson, and filled him 
with an irresistible desire to make one of the 
party. The dangers they were likely to encoun- 
ter only served to stimulate his ambition ; and 
though instruction had been issued, that no boys 
should be received on board, yet he was so ear- 
nest in his solicitations to be appointed coxswain 
to Captain Lutwidge, that this officer, struck with 
the undaunted resolution he manifested to be em- 
ployed in such an arduous undertaking, received 
him in that capacity, and thus laid the founda- 
tion of a friendship which continued without 
abatement through every subsequent period of 
life. ^ 

The ships sailed on the 2nd of June, and dur- 
ing the voyage our youthful coxswain conducted 
himself in such a manner as to obtain the particu- 
lar notice of Captain Phipps, who formed a high 
©pinion of his character. Abundant occasions 
presented themselves for the young navigator to 

* One other exception of the same kind was made in 
tlie person of Philip D'Auvergne, now duke of Bouillon 
and rear-admiral of the redj who, though under the pre- 
scribed age, was permitted to accompany the expedition. 
The engravings which illustrate the account of the voyage, 
published by Captain Phipps, were all taken from original 
sketches made on the spot by Mr. D'Auvernge, who was 
also charged with the Meteorological Registers. 



LORD NELSON. 2o 

display those eminent qualities of intrepidity and 
perseverance with which he was gifted. On the 
3 1st of July the two vessels were in a most perilous 
situation off the Seven Islands, a cluster situated 
to the north of Spitzbergen, in latitude 80 deg. 
14 minutes* Here they suddenly found them- 
selves fast amidst immense fields of ice, and our 
youthful mariner might justly have apphed to him- 
self and his companions, the beautiful apostrophe 
of the Poet of the Seasons : — 



• Miserable they ! 



Who here entangled in the gathering ice, 
Take their last look of the descending sun ; 
While full of death and fierce with ten-fold frost. 
The long, long night, incumbent o'er their heads 
Falls horrible. Such was the Briton's fate, * 
As with first prow, (what have not Britons dar'd !) 
■ He for the passage sought, attempted since ^ 

So much in vain, and seeming to be shut 
By jealous nature with eternal bars. 

In this dilemma the ship's companies endeavor^ 
cd to cut a passage to the westward by sawing 
through pieces of ice, some of which were twelv*; 
jfeet thick, but with so little success, that their ut- 
most efforts, for a whole day, could not move the 
vessels more than two hundred yards. In this 
dreadful state they remained nearly five days, 

* Sir Hugh Willoughby, sent by Queea Elizabeth t© 
discover aN. E. passage. 

G 



MS PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

during which Horatio, whose mind glowed with 
increased energy at the sight of danger, obtained, 
after repeated sohcitations, the command of a 
four-oared cutter, with twelve men, for the pur- 
pose of exploring channels and beraking the ice. 
On the 13th of August, a brisk wind springing up 
at N. N. E. effected their deliverance from this 
precarious situation, and Captain Phipps, finding 
it impracticable to penetrate farther northward, 
returned to the harbor of Smeerenberg, on the 
coast of Spitzbergen, a region of which it may be 
with justice asserted, that 

Here Winter holds his unrejoicing court ; 
And through his airy hall the loud misrule 
Of driving tempests is for ever heard : 
Here the grim tyrant meditates his wrath ; 
Here arms his winds with all-subduing frosts. 
Moulds his fierce hail, aud treasures up his snows ! 

The cool intrepidity possessed by our young 
mariner, even amid scenes so dreadful and fore- 
boding, is evinced by the following anecdote. — 
During one of the nights, which in those high la- 
titudes are generally clear, young Nelson, not- 
withstanding the extreme bitterness of the cold, 
was missing from the ship. Immediate search 
was made after him, but in vain, and every one 
gave him up for lost. As the rays of the rismg 
sun illumed the horizon, he was, however, dis- 
covered by his astonished messmates, at a consi- 



lORD NELSON. 27 

derable distance on the ice, armed with a single 
musket, in anxious pursuit of a prodigious bear. 
The lock being injured, the piece would not go off, 
and he had pursued the shaggy animal in the hope 
of tiring him, and being at length able to effect his 
purpose with the butt-end. Being reprimanded 
on his return, by Captain Lutwidge, for quitting 
the ship without permission, and asked, m a se- 
vere tone, what motive could induce him to at* 
tempt such a rash undertaking ; the young hero, 
with great simplicity replied : *^ I wished. Sir, to 
get the skin for my father T' We are at a loss 
which to admire most, the matchless courage of 
the youth, or his ardent desire to afford pleasure 
to his worthy parent. 

Captain Phipps having reached, in the prosecu- 
tion of his voyage, the latitude of 81 degrees, 36 
minutes, north latitude, and between that and the 
latitude of 79 degrees, traversed 17 degrees and 
a half of longitude, returned to England, where 
the ships were paid off in the month of October, 
3773. Mr. Nelson now longed to explore the 
torrid as he had already done the frigid zone, and 
accordingly exerted his interest to obtain an ap- 
pointment in one of the ships of the squadron 
then equipping for the East-Indies. Nothing less 
than such a distant voyage was capable of satis- 
fying the ardor of his mind, and his thirst of nau- 
tical knowledge. He obtained a birth in the Sea- 
c2 



28 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

horse, of 20 guns, under the gallant Captain 
Farmer.* In this ship he was stationed to watch 
in the fore-top, and was afterwards placed on 
the quarter-deck. During the period of his ser- 



■* This brave officer, in 1779, commanded the Quebec, 
of 52 guns, in which ship, on the 6th of October, he en- 
gaged, off Ushant, the French frigate. La Surveillante, of 
40 guns. The action began at ten in the morning, and 
continued with the greatest obstinacy for three hours and a 
half. Both vessels were totally dismasted, and on board 
of each other. Unfortunately the Quebec, by firing through 
her sails which were lying over the side, took fire, and the 
ship was soon in flames, which, in spite of every effort, it 
was found impossible to extinguish. Captain Farmer was 
severely wounded, and though frequently solicited to leave 
his ship, he remained fixed in his resolution of sharing the 
fate of his bold companions. The Quebec continued to burn 
with unremitting fury till six in the evening, when she blew 
up with her colors ^ing ; her brave commander, with most 
of his officers and crew, perished. The Kambler cutter 
was at the same time engaged at some distance with a 
French cutter, in company with La Surveillante. The 
Frenchman at length set all his sails, and bore away, and 
the Kambler's rigging and sails were so much damaged, 
that it would have been in vain to pursue. At this mo- 
ment her commander. Lieutenant George, discovered that 
the Quebec was on fire, but being to leeward, with little 
wind, and a great swell, he was unable to render any other 
assistance than by sending his boat, which brought off two 
mi dshipmen and fourteen seamen ; and thirteen more of the 
c rew were providentially rescued from destructioa by a 
Russian vessel that chanced to pass the wreck. 



LORD NELSON. £9 

vice in the Sea-horse, he visited almost every 
part of the Indian seas between Bengal and Bus- 
sorah ; but his continued ill-health at length in- 
duced Sir Edward Hughes, who always treated 
him with the utmost kindness, to send him to 
England in the Dolphin. That ship w^as paid off 
at Woolwich, in September, 1776? and on tlie 
26th of the same month Sir James Douglas, then 
commanding at Portsmouth, gave him an order 
to act as lieutenant of the Worcester, of 64 guns, 
Captain Mark Robinson,* who was under sailing 

* Captain Kobinson was a gentleman of the most distin- 
guished merit in his profession. He was born in 1722, and 
at the age of fourteen entered into the naval service of his 
countr3^. He was actively engaged in most of the combats 
under the command of Sir Peter Warren and Lord Hawke. 
As commander of the Falcon, his conduct and bravery were 
highly conspicuous at the reduction of Guadaloupe^ where 
his ship sunk under him. He was afterwards appointed to 
the command of the Towey, on the coast of America, where 
he had the satisfaction of saving Charlestown from the 
effect of an alarming conflagration, a service for which the 
"merchants of South Carolina expressed their gratitude by a 
public vote of thanks, dated January 14th, 1771, and a 
valuable piece of plate. He was then promoted to the 
Worcester, and in Admiral Keppel's action, in 1178, he led 
the rear-division of the fleet. Being transferred to the 
Shrewsbury, he led the British fleet five times into action jn 
that ship. In the last of these engagements, off the Che- 
sapeake on the 5th September, 1781, under Admiral Graves 
*he Shrewsbury suffered more severely than any other ship 



50 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OP 

orders for Gibraltar, with a convoy. In the same 
kind of service he was engaged till April the fol- 
lowing year, and during the greatest part of that 
interval in uncommonly boisterous weather. A 
strict attention to his professional duties, added 
to seven years practice, had rendered Mr. Nel- 
son such a complete seaman, that though he had 
not attained his nineteenth year, yet Captain 
Robinson placed the greatest confidence in his 
skill and prudence, and was frequently heard to 
say, that he felt as easy at night when it was 
Nelson's watch, as when the oldest officer on 
board had charge of the ship. Thus we have in 
this illustrious character a striking example, that 
to learn to command it is first necessary to obej^, 
and that in order to obtain distinction in any pro- 
fession, something more than a superficial know- 
ledge is absolutely requisite. 

Having passed his examination for the rank of 
lieutenant, on the 8th of April, 1777, Mr. Nel- 
son, the following day, received a commission as 
second of the Lowestofle, of 32 guns, Captain 
William Locker,'^ with whom he proceeded to 

in the fleet. On this occasion Captain Robinson himself, 
received a severe wound in the hip, and lost a leg. Alter 
this misfortune he was put on the list of superannuated 
rear-admirals, and died at his house in Bath, the 23d of 
Js^ovember, 1799. 

* In 1792, on the prospect of a war with Spain, Captain 
6 



LORD NELSON. 31 

Jamaica. A circumstance soon afterwards oc- 
curred in wJiich he gave a striking indication of 
that intrepid spirit which no danger could ever 
subdue or appal. In a strong gale of wind and 
a heavy sea, the Lowestoffe came up with an 
American letter of marque, which struck to the 
British frigate. Captain Locker ordered the 
first lieutenant to board her; but this, owing to 
the tremendous sea, he was unable to accom- 
plish. *' Have I then no officer who can board 
the prize ?" exclaimed Captain Locker on his re- 
turn. The master immediately ran to the gang- 
way, with the intention of jumping into the boat, 
when he was suddenly stopped by Lieutenant 
Nelson, with these words : " It is my turn now ; 
if I come back, it will be yours." It is unne- 
cessary to add, that his attempt was crowned 
with success. 

Finding that his station in the Lowestoffe was 
not sufficiently active for his restless mind, he 
solicited an appointment to the command of a 
schooner, tender to the frigate. In this small 
vessel he eagerly embraced every opportunity of 
rendering himself a complete pilot for all the in- 

Locker was raised to the rank of commodore, and hoisted 
hiS broad pendant on board the Sandwich, of 90 guns, as 
commander in chief at the Nore. On the 16th of Februar^^, 
1793, he was appointed lieutenant-governor of Greenwich 
Hospital, where he died on the 26th of December, 1800, 



5# PROFESSIONAL LIFE O? 

tricate passages among the islands called Keys, 
situate to the northward of St. Domingo. 

In 1772, soon after the arrival of Sir Peter 
Parker on the Jamaica station, he appointed 
Lieutenant Nelson third of the Bristol, his flag- 
ship. He soon became by rotation the first, and 
it was in this vessel that he concluded his ser- 
vices as a lieutenant. On the 8th of December 
the same year he was appointed commander of 
the Badger brig, and received orders to protect 
the Mosquito shore and the Bay of Honduras 
against the depredations of American privateers. 
Of this duty he acquitted himself so much to 
the satisfaction of the settlers, that they unani- 
mously voted him their thanks, and expressed 
deep regret on his quitting that station. While 
he commanded the Badger, he was lying at Mon- 
tego Bay, Jamaica, where he was joined by his 
majesty *s ship Glasgow, which soon after her ar- 
rival accidentally took fire ; and it was owing 
principally to the unceasing exertions and pre- 
sence of mind of Captain Nelson, that the vessel 
and her whole crew were rescued from imminent 
destruction. 

Captain Nelson was made post on the 1 1th of 
June, 1779. He had been nine years in the ser- 
vice, and had made himself not only an able of- 
ficer but likewise a most skilful pilot, which from 
the first had been the object of his constant am- 



LORD NELSON. 53 

bition. Endowed by nature with unconimon 
quickness of perception, and a ready fund of re- 
source,' he was far from suffering talents of such 
value to be bestowed in vain. 

The first ship to which Captain Nelson was ap- 
pointed, after his promotion, was the Hincbinr 
brooke. It was soon after this event that the ar- 
rival of Count D'Estaing at St. Domingo, with 
a numerous fleet and army, led to the expecta- 
tion of an immediate attack on Jamaica. At 
this critical conjuncture, the command of the 
batteries at Port Royal, which, being the key to 
the naval force of Kingston, and to the seat of 
government at Spanish Town, was considered 
the most important post in Jamaica, was entrust- 
ed to Captain Nelson. 

In January, 1780, an expedition having been 
planned for the reduction of Fort Juan, on the 
river St. John, in the gulph of Mexico, the com- 
mand of the naval department was given to Cap- 
tain Nelson, while Major Poison superintended 
the military. In this arduous service he dis- 
played his usual zeal and energy ; quitting his 
ship, he directed the transporting of the troops 
one hundred miles up a river, which none but 
Spaniards had ever navigated since the time of 
the buccaneers. Major Poison bore ample tes- 
timony of the exertions and intrepidity of his 
gallant colleague, who, after storming one of the 

D 



34 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

enemy's out-posts, situated on an island in the 
river, constructed batteries, and fought the Spa- 
niards with their own guns. To his conduct 
and excellent dispositions the subsequent re- 
duction of Fort Juan was principally to be 
ascribed. 

The excessive fatigue necessarily attendant on 
an expedition of such a nature, and in such a 
climate, greatly impaired the health of Captain 
Nelson, who was soon afterwards appointed to 
the Janus, of 44 guns, on the Jamaica station, 
and took his passage in the Victor sloop to join 
his ship. Notwithstanding the medical assistance 
he received, and the kind attention of Sir Peter 
Parker, his health continued rapidly declining, so 
that he was under the necessity of returning to 
England in the Lion, commanded by the Honor- 
able William Cornwallis ; and it was not till after 
a residence of eleven weeks at Bath, that he re- 
covered the use of his limbs. 

Of a disposition too active to remain long un- 
employed, no sooner was Captain Nelson's 
health in some measure re-established, than he 
accepted the command of the Albemarle, in Au- 
gust, I7B1, and his delicate constitution had to 
undergo another severe trial, from his being sta- 
tioned, during the whole of the ensuing winter, in 
the North Seas. In April, the year following, he 
sailed with a convoy, under the command of Cap- 



LORD NELSON. 55 

tkin Pringle, for Newfoundland and Quebec. 
During a cruize off Boston, he was chased by 
three ships of the line and the Iris frigate. As 
they were all better sailers than the Albemarle, 
and were gaining upon him very fast, he had no 
other chance of escape, than, trusting to Provi- 
dence and his own experience in pilotage, to 
run his ship among the shoals of St. George's 
Bank. The line of battle ships, alarmed for their 
own safety, quitted the pursuit, but the frigate 
still persevered in the chase, and had approach- 
ed within little more than gun-shot, when Cap- 
tain Nelson ordered the main-top-sail of bis lit- 
tle frigate to be laid to the mast, that he might 
be prepared for battle, on which the enemy, de- 
clining the engagement, immediately tacked, and 
stood to rejoin her consorts. 

In October, 17S2, Captain Nelson sailed from- 
Quebec with a convoy for New York, where he 
joined the fleet under the command of Sir Sa- 
muel (now Lord) Hood. With that officer he 
proceeded to the West Indies, where he continued 
actively employed until the conclusion of the 
peace. Captain Nelson was soon afterwards or- 
dered to England, and on his way attended his 
Royal Highness, Prince William Henry, on his 
visit to the Havannah. On his arrival at Ports- 
mouth, the Albemarle was paid off, and in the 
autumn of 1783, Captain Nelson visited France 
D 2 



30 PROFESSIOIN AL LIFE OF 

for the benefit of his health. In that country he 
remained till the spring of the following year, 
when he was appointed to the command of the 
Boreas, of 28 guns, and ordered to the West- 
Indies. 

On the Leeward-Island station a new scene 
was now opened to the officers of the British 
navy. The Americans, who, as colonists, en- 
joyed almost the whole of the trade from Ame- 
rica to the West-India islands, forgot, on the con- 
clusion of peace, that they were then to be consi- 
dered as having no more privileges in this com- 
merce than foreigners. Their claims were, how- 
ever, favored by all the West Indians to whose 
interest they tended, and particularly by the go- 
vernors and custom-house officers, who asserted, 
that, by the Navigation Act, the Americans had 
a right to trade. Captain Nelson, with that 
penetration and solidity of judgment, which he 
manifested on every occasion, considered the sub- 
ject in a very different point of view, and determined 
that nothing should dismay him while enforcing 
the maritime^laws of his country. He, accord- 
ingly, intimated with firmness to the governors 
and officers of the customs, as well as to the Ame- 
ricans, what he imagined to be his duty, and a 
few days afterwards seized several America.t^ ves- 
sels, found in the act of carrying on a trade which 
ke looked upon as ilhcit. This proceeding drew 

I 



LORD NELSON. 57 

Mpon him the hatred of all parties, who perse- 
cuted him with such inveteracy, that he could not 
venture with safety to leave his ship. Conscious- 
ness of the rectitude of his conduct supported his 
great mind under these trying circumstances, and 
he had likewise the satisfaction to find, that, on 
an investigation of his proceedings, they were ap- 
proved by government. 

Towards the close of 17S6, Captain Nelson was 
joined on his station by Prince William Henry, in 
the Pegasus frigate. His conduct, as command- 
ing-officer, gained him the esteem of his royal 
highness, and their friendship increased with 
advancing years. In March, 1787, Captain 
Nelson married Mrs. Frances Herbert Nesbit, 
widow of Dr. Nesbit, of the island of Nevis, 
daughter of Wilh am Herbert, Esq. senior judge, 
and niece to Mr. Herbert, president of that is- 
land. Prince William Henry gave away the 
bride. In the mouth of June following. Captain 
Nelson sailed for England, and on the 30th of 
November the Boreas frigate was paid off at 
Sheerness. 

Our hero now retired to enjoy the comforts of 
domestic happiness, at the parsonage-house of 
Burnham, which his father gave up to him as a 
place of residence ; and here he passed the inter- 
val of peace in rural occupations and in solitude. 
From the age of twelve years he had been inces- 



38 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

santly engaged in a continued succesion of events 
arising out of his professional duties, in a compli- 
cation of perils and emergencies. He now, for 
the first time, had leisure to strengthen by reflec- 
tion the experience he had obtained, to combine 
the various ideas which a quick yet souri^ obser- 
vation had collected, and to improve and i'jicrease 
that knowledge of himself and of mankind, which 
is so essential to those who are called upon by 
their country to command with firmness, and tcr 
obey without a murmur. 



LORD NELSON. 39 



CHAP. 11. 



FROM 1790 TO 1797. 

Captain Nelson is appointed to the Agamemnon — His cou- 
rage and ability — Conducts the operations of the seamen 
against Bastia and Calvi — Loses the sight of his right 
eye at the siege of the latter — Takes a French convoy at 
Alassio — Appointed to the rank of commodore — Hoists 
his flag on board La Minerve — Takes the Spanish frigate. 
La Sabina- -Falls in, on his return from Porto Ferrajo^ 
with the whole Spanish fleet — Rejoins tlie Admiral — En- 
gagement off Cape St. Vincent — Remarks on that action 
written by himself— Account of the victory — He receives 
the order of the Bath — Extracts from letters written soon 
after the victory—Hoists his flag as a rear-adrairal—Bora- 
bardment of Cadiz. — He is sent to attack Teneriffe — 
Loses his right-arm-— Is obliged to return to England in 
consequence of that misfortune. 

V/APTAiN Nelson continued to enjoy the 
sweets of rural retirement till the dispute, rela- 
tive to Nootka Sound, in 1/90, threatened an ap- 
proaching rupture with Spain. Glowing with 
patriotic ardor, he left his retreat to offer his ser- 
vices ; but his endeavors to obtain a command 
were ineffectual. Two more years passed away 



40 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

in peace, but at length, the 30th of January, 
1793, again called forth this distinguished cha- 
racter, destined to appear like a brilliant constel- 
lation in the political horizon. He was appoint- 
ed to the Agamemnon, of 64* guns, in a manner 
the most grateful to his feelings, hurt by the inef- 
ficacy of his former applications, and was soon or- 
dered to proceed to the Mediterranean, under the 
command of the gallant veteran Lord Hood. 

The greatest part of the crew of the Agamem- 
non was composed of men raised in the neighbor- 
hood of Burnham Thorpe; and such was the ge- 
neral opinion of his conduct and abilities as an 
officer, that gentlemen were solicitous to place 
their sons under his command ; and it must be ad- 
mitted, that if they wished them to obtain an in- 
sight into the pro ession, founded upon practice 
and example, they could not have selected a fitter 
master. 

The unbounded confidence reposed by Lord 
Hood in Captain Nelson, while he commanded 
the Agamemnon, sufficiently manifests the high 
opinion he entertained of his courage and abihty 
to execute the arduous services with which he 
■^vas entrusted. Scarcely a gazette appeared but 
it contained an account of some service perform- 
ed, some gallantry displayed, or some enterprize 
undertaken by the brave captain and crew of the 
Agamemnon. If a ship was to be cut out of a bar- 



LORD NELSON. 41 

bor, or a battery to be dismounted, Horatio Nel- 
son was invariably foremost on the occasion, 
placing himself in the hottest of the battle, and 
exposing his person to the same risks as the 
meanest seaman. Such voluntary contempt of 
danger is, perhaps, not always prudent or justifi- 
able in a commander, but it is certainly generous 
and often successful. Men will exert themselves 
more and with greater alacrity, when they find 
that nothing more is required on the one hand 
than is submitted to on the other, andgreat advan- 
tages will counterbalance great hazard. Ac- 
cordingly, before he quitted his old ship, it was 
justly observed, that he had not only fairly worn 
her out, but had also exhausted himself and his 
ship's company. . These habits of active service 
seemed to have had the effect of bracing his origi- 
nally delicate constitution, and enabling him to 
support such excessive fatigue. 

On the 21st of October, 1793, part of his 
crew being absent at Toulon, and in prizes, and 
having only 345 men at quarters, Captain Nelson 
fell in with four French frigates and a corvette, 
which he instantly attacked. A brisk firing con- 
tinued for nearly four hours, when the enemy 
hauled their wind and made off. The masts and 
rigging of the Agamemnon were so disabled as 
to prevent the captain from hazarding a pursuit. 

The success and the activity of the Agamem- 



42 I^ROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

non while under the command of Captain Nel- 
son, may, perhaps, be imputed to a very simple 
cause,— that of the national spirit of an EngHsh 
crew being awakened into full action, and di- 
rected towards a proper end, by the skill and 
courage of their commander. But the biogra- 
pher whose part it is not to remain satisfied with 
general causes, cannot but imagine that he per- 
ceives another : The greatest part of the ship^s 
company, as already observed, were more pecu- 
liarly the countrymen of their commander. A 
moment's reflection on the human character, will 
be sufficient to convince us of the force of this 
principle. The natural courage of the men is 
inflamed to greater exertions by their attachment 
to their commander and to each other. The 
body become animated with a spirit of emulation 
peculiar to themselves ; they consider themselves 
as forming a separate community, as did the crew 
of the Agamemnon, who thus felt a pride in rais- 
ing their appellation of " men of Norfolk" to 
reputation and distinction. In time of danger, 
when great exertions and consequently great mo- 
tives are required, might not this principle be ap- 
plied with considerable effect ?— The greater the 
affinity between the officer and his men, and be- 
tween the men and each other, in the same pro- 
portion will their attachment, their sympathy, 
and their efforts in the common cause be aug- 



mented. The affections of private and domestic 
life are thus pressed into public service ; men 
fight not only for their country, but for their 
commander, for themselves, and what is, perhaps, 
yet stronger than all, for the honor of their pe- 
culiar body and the distinction of their native^ 
district. 

In the operations against Bastia and Calvi, ia 
the island of Corsica, in J 794, Lord Hood bore 
ample testimony to the skill and unremitting ex- 
ertions of Captain Nelson. During the memora- 
ble siege of the former, he commanded a brigade 
of seamen on shore, at the batteries, having the 
Captains Hunt, Sericold, * and BuUen, under his 
orders ; and on this occasion he gave distin- 
guished proofs of zeal and intrepidity. In his 
public dispatch, relating the capture of this for- 
tress, Lord Hood thus expresses himself:--* 



* Captain Sericold commanded the Proselyte gun-boat> 
and greatly distinguished himself in these attacks onshore. 
At the siege of Calvi^ he was killed hy a grape-shot, while 
getting the last gun into its place on one of the batteries.— 
" The king," says Lord Hood, in his official dispatch, 
'^ had not a more meritorious young captain in his navy. 
He commanded the floating-battery which was burnt by a 
red-hot shot, before Bastia, and afterwards served with infi- 
nite reputation at the batteries on shore. Independent of 
my regard and esteem for him, I feel his loss to be a public 
one," 

E 2 



44 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

** Captain Nelson, of his Majesty's ship Aga- 
memnon, who had the command and direction of 
the seamen, in landing the guns, mortars, and. 
stores, and Captain Hunt, who commanded at. 
the batteries, very ably assisted by Captain Bul-r 
len and Captain Sericold, and the Lieutenants 
Gore, Hotham, Stiles, Andrews, and Brisbane, 
have an ample claim to my gratitude, as the 
seamen, under their management, worj^ed the 
guns with great judgment and alacrity ; never was 
a higher spirit or greater perseverance exhibited; 
and I am happy to say, that no other contention 
was at any time known, than who should be 
most forward and indefatigable in promoting his 
Majesty's service f for though the difficulties they 
had to struggle with were many and various, the 
perfect harmony and good-humor that universally 
prevailed throughout the siege, overcame them 
all/' 

The uncertainty of a seaman's life cannot be 
better described than in the language of Captain 
Nelson, who, in a letter he transmitted on this oc- 
casion to Mr. Evan Davies, of Swansea, informing 
him of the death of his son, thus expressed him- 
self: — **'From the nature of our profession we hold 
life by a more precarious tenure than many others, 
but when we fall we trust it is to benefit our 
country. So fell your son, by a cannon ball, un- 
der my immediate command at the siege of Bas- 
2 



LORD NELSON. 45 

tia. I had taken him on shore with me, from his' 
abiUties and attention to his duty/' 

Calvi was the next point of attack. At the 
siege of that place, in the months of July and 
August, 1794-? Captain Nelson likewise distin- 
guished himself in a brilhant manner, when com- 
manding an advanced battery of seamen on 
shore. It was on this occasion that he had the 
misfortune to lose the sight of his right eye, in 
consequence of a shot from one of the enemy's 
batteries striking against that which he com- 
manded, and driving some particles of sand with 
prodigious force against his face. For his impor- 
tant services in the reduction of Corsica, Captain 
Nelson, in common with the rest of the officers 
and seamen, received the thanks of both houses 
of parliament. 

In the month of October, 1794, Lord Hood 
left the Mediterranean, and the command de- 
volved on Admiral, now Lord Hotham, who ho- 
nored Captain Nelson with the same confidence 
as his predecessor. He distinguished himself in 
the actions with the French fleet on the 13th and 
14th of March, 1795, when the Ca-ira, of 80 
guns, and the Censeur, of 74, fell prizes to Bri- 
tish prowess, and on the 13th of July, when the 
Alcide, of 74 guns, was taken and blew up. 

During the chace on the former occasion, one 
of the French line of battle ships having lost her 



46 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

top-masts, this circumstance afforded Captain 
Freemantle, of the Inconstant frigate, who was 
then far advanced in the chace, an opportunity 
of exhibiting a proof of British enterprize, by 
attacking, raking, and harassing iier, till the ar- 
rival of the Agamemnon. He was then most 
ably seconded by Captain Nelson, who did her 
so much damage that she was unable to recover 
herself. By this time, however, the two British 
captains were at such a distance from their own 
fleet that they were obliged to quit their antago- 
nist, as several of the enemy's ships were ad- 
vancing to her assistance. 

Captain Nelson was soon afterwards directed 
by Admiral Hotham to co-operate with the Aus- 
trian General, De Vins, at Vado Bay, in the ter- 
ritory of Genoa. Having there received infor- 
mation that a convoy of arms and ammunition 
had arrived at Alassio, a place in the possession 
of the French army, he proceeded to that place 
on the 26th of August, accompanied by the ves- 
sels under his command, and in less than an hour 
cut out nine ships, besides two which were des- 
troyed. This service was effected without the 
loss of a man either killed or wounded ; and had 
not the town been defended by 2000 soldiers, 
horse and foot, he would have rendered his suc- 
cess more complete by landing and destroying the 
magazines of ammunition and provisions. " His 



LORD NEL30N. 47 

officer-like conduct/' says Admiral Hotham in 
his public dispatch, ^' upon this, and, indeed, upon 
every occasion where his services are called forth, 
Teflects upon him the highest credit/' 

During the whole time Admiral Hotham re- 
tained the command, our hero was employed in 
the most arduous services, the blockade of Leg- 
horn, the taking of Porto Ferrajo, and lastly, the 
evacuation of Bastia. Having convoyed the 
troops in safety from that place to Porto^Ferrajo, 
he joined Admiral Sir John Jervis, who had su- 
perseded Admiral Hotham in the Mediterranean, 
in the Bay of St. Fiorenzo. In April, 179^, the 
commander in chief, in consequence of his ap- 
probation of Captain Nelson's conduct, directed 
him to wear a broad pendant as commodore ; in 
the following month he was removed from his 
favorite ship the Agamemnon, to the Captain of 
74 guns, and, in August, a captain was appointed 
under him. 

On the 25th of April, 179^, having received 
intelligence that a convoy, laden with stores for 
the French army, had anchored at Loano, the 
commodore immediately proceeded off that place. 
On his approach, he was considerably disappoint- 
ed to observe only four vessels lying under the 
batteries, which opened upon the ships as they ad- 
vanced into the bay. Their fire was returned by 



48 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

the commodore and the ships under his command, 
and their boats were dispatched to board and 
bring off the vessels. This service was performed 
with equal gallantry and success, notwithstanding 
the heavy fire kept up from the shore very near 
to which the vessels were lying. 

Being in the Gulph of Genoa, on the 31st of 
May, the commodore gave chace to six vessels 
which hoisted French colors, and anchored close 
under a battery, in the bay of Oneglia. The 
commodore directed Captain Cockburn, of the 
Meleager, to lead in, which he did in a most offi- 
cer-like manner, and the same afternoon the Aga- 
memnon and Meleager anchored in less than four 
fathoms water. After a short resistance from the 
battery and vessels, the boats of the English squa- 
dron took possession of them under a smart fire 
of musketry. The enemy, after they had surren- 
dered, cut their cables and ran their vessels on 
shore, but they were afterwards got off.* 

. * The following were the vessels taken on this occasion : 

A ship of 8 guns, and 20 brass patteraroes, laden with 
corn and rice. 

A ketch laden with muskets, and cases of ammunition, 

A galley laden with wine. 

A ditto with corn. 

La Genie, ketch, 3 eighteen-pounders, 2 swivels, 60 men. 

La Humero D'Ougel, gun-boat, 1 eighteen-pounder, 4i 
swivels, 30 men. 



LORD NELSOiN. 49 

Having afterwards proceeded with the com- 
mander-in-chief to Gibraltar, Commodore Nel- 
son, in the month of December, 1796, hoisted 
his broad pendant on board La Minerve frigate, 
of 32 guns. Captain George Cockburn, and 
was sent with that ship and La Blanche of the 
same force, commanded by Captain Preston, 
to Porto Ferrajo, to bring away the naval stores 
left at that place, of which the fleet at Gibral- 
tar was much in want. On his passage thither, 
on the night of the 19th of December, he fell 
in with two Spanish frigates: he immediate- 
ly attacked the ship which carried the poop- 
light, and directed the Blanche to bear down and 
engage the other. At forty minutes past ten at 
night the commodore brought the enemy to close 
action, which continued without intermission 
until half past one. Notwithstanding the superior 
force of the Spanish vessel, the fire of the Eng- 
lish was maintained with such effect, that La Sa- 
bina, of 40 guns, twenty-eight of which were 
eighteen-pounders, struck to La Minerve. La 
Sabina was commanded by Don Jacobo Stuart, 

Transports — La Bonne Mere, 250 tons, laden with brass 
21-pounders, thirteen-inch mortars, and gun-carriages. 

La Vierge de Consolation, 120 tons ditto. 

Le Jean Baptiste, 100 tons, laden with provisions. 

Name unknown, 100 tons, with Austrian prisoners. 
"St. Anne de Paix, 70 tons, laden with entrenching tools, 
F 



oO PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

who had 164 men killed and wounded during the 
action, in which he lost his mizen-mast. On board 
La Minerve seven men were killed and thirty- 
four wounded ; all her masts were shot through, 
and the rigging much damaged. 

Scarcely was this victory obtained and the 
prize taken in tow, when a frigate was seen ad- 
vancing, at four in the morning, of the 20th, and, 
b}' her signals, was discovered to be Spanish. At 
half past four she came to action with La Mi- 
ne? ve, who cast oif the prize, which, under the 
command of Lieutenant Culverhouse, was di- 
rected to stand to the southward. After a trial 
of strength of more than an hour, the enemy 
hauled off " or I am confident,^' says the com- 
modore, ^^ she would have shared the fate of her 
companion,'^ At this time three other ships were 
seen standing for La Minerve, and at the dawn of 
day the commodore had the mortification to per- 
ceive that they were two Spanish ships of the line 
and two frigates, and that the Blanche was far to 
windward. Notwithstanding all the exertions of 
the officers and men belonging to La Minerve to 
repair the damages that ship had sustained, all 
iheir labors would probably have been ineffectual 
for her preservation, had they not been assisted 
by a diversion of the lieutenant placed in the 
prize. A frigate repeatedly fired into her with- 
out effect, and at length the Spanish admiral 



LORD NELSON. 51 

quitted the pursuit of the commodore, for that 
of La Sabina, which steered a different course, 
evidently with the intention of attracting the 
notice of the enemy ; nor did she surrender till 
after the loss of her remaining masts. In the 
mean time La Blanche had silenced her antago- 
nist, but owing to the same unfortunate coinci- 
dence of circumstances, had been prevented from 
taking possession of her prize. 

The letter in which the commodore acquaints 
Sir John Jervis with the particulars of this ac- 
tion, affords a noble and generous instance of that 
modest spirit which ever pervaded the mind of 
this great man. He assumes no merit to him- 
self, but transfers the whole to Captain Cock- 
burn, his officers, and crew. " You are so 
thoroughly acquainted,'' says he, " with the me- 
rits of Captain Cockburn, that it is needless for 
me to express them : but the discipline of La 
Minerve does the highest credit to her captain 
and lieutenants, and I wish fully to express the 
sense I have of their judgment and gallantry. 
Lieutenant Culverhouse, the first lieutenant, is 
an old officer of distinguished merit; Lieute*^ 
nants Hardy, Gage, and Noble deserve every 
praise which gallantry and zeal justly entitle 
them to : as does every other officer and man in 
the ship." 

, On the 29th of January the commodore sailed 
2f 



52 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

in La Minerve from Porto Ferrajo, on her return 
to Gibraltar, having on board Sir Gilbert Elliott, 
(now Lord Minto,) late viceroy of Corsica, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Drink water, and others of his 
suite- Having reconnoitered the principal ports 
of the enemy in the Mediterranean, the commo- 
dore arrived at Gibraltar, where his impatience 
to rejoin Sir John Jervis permitted him to remain 
only one day. Proceeding thence to the west- 
ward, on the 1 Ith of February, he was chased 
by two Spanish line of battle ships, and at the 
mouth of the Streights fell in with their whole 
fleet, which had come out of Carthagena. The 
commodore fortunately escaped, and on the 13th 
of February he joined the admiral off Cape St. 
Vincent. He immediately communicated the in- 
telligence relative to the force and state of the 
enemy, and shifted his pendant on board his for- 
mer ship the Captain. He had scarcely removed 
from La Minerve, when the signal was thrown 
out for the British fleet to prepare for action, 
and the ships were directed to keep close order 
during the night. 

As the gazette account conveys a very imper- 
fect idea of the exploits of the heroic commo- 
dore on the glorious l^th of February, the rea- 
der shall first be presented with the invaluable re- 
marks of the gallant Nelson himself on the events 
of that day, which are farther illustrated by the 



LORD NELSON. 53 

interesting account of the engagement by Lieute- 
nant-colonel Drinkwater, who had an opportu- 
nity of observing the manoeuvres of both fleets on 
board the Lively, repeating frigate, commanded 
by Viscount Garlies. 

^* AJex Remarks, relative to mi/self in the Captain, 
** in which Ship my Pendant was flying on the 
" most glorious Valentine's Day, 1 797- 
" At one, P. M. the Captain having passed the 
sternmost of the enemy^s ships, which formed 
their van and part of their centre, consisting of 
seventeen sail of the line ; they on the larboard, 
we on the starboard tack ; the admiral made the 
signal to tack in succession, but perceiving all 
the Spanish ships to bear up before the wind, 
evidently with an intention of forming their line, 
going large, joining their separated divisions ; at 
that time engaged with some of our centre ships, 
or flying from us ; to prevent either of their 
schemes from taking effect, I ordered the ship to 
be wore, and passing between the Diadem and 
the Excellent, at a quarter past one o'clock, was 
engaged with the headmost, and, of course, lee- 
wardmost of the Spanish division. The ships 
which I knew were the Santissima Trinadada, 
136; San Josef, 112; Salvador del Mundo, 112; 
San Nicholas, 80 ; another first-rate, and a 7^> 
names unknown. 



54 PBOFESSIONAI, LIFE OF 

" 1 was immediately joined and most nobly sup- 
ported by the CuUoden, Captain Troubridge ; 
the Spanish fleet not wishing, I suppose, to have 
a decisive battle, hauled to the wind on the lar- 
board tack, which brought the ships above-men- 
tioned to be the leewardmost and stern-most 
ships in their fleet. For near an hour, I believe, 
(but do not pretend to be correct as to time) did 
the Culloden and Captain support this apparently, 
but not really, unequal contest ; when the Blen- 
heim passing between us and the enemy, gave us 
a respite, and sickened the Dons. 

" At this time the Salvador del Mundo and San 
Isidro dropped astern, and were fired into, in a 
masterly style, by the Excellent, Captain Col- 
lingwood, who compelled the San Isidro to hoist 
English colours ; and I tliought the large ship, Sal- 
vador del Mundo had also struck : but Captain 
Collingwood, disdaining the parade of taking 
possession of a vanquished enemy, most gallantly 
pushed up, with every sail set, to save his old 
friend and messmate, who was to appearance in 
a critical state ; the Blenheim being a-head ; the 
Culloden crippled and astern. The Excellent 
ranged up within two feet of the San Nicholas, 
giving a most tremendous fire. The San Nicho- 
las luffing up, the San Josef fell on board her; and 
the Excellent passing on for the Sant. Trinidad a, 
the Captain resumed her station abreast of them, 



LORD NELSON. 55 

and close alongside ; at this time the Captain 
having lost her fore-top mast, not a sail, shroud, 
nor rope left : her wheel away, and incapable of 
farther service in the line, or in the chase, 1 
directed Captain Miller to put the helm a-star- 
board, and calling for the boarders, ordered them 
to board. 

** The soldiers of the 69th, with an alacrity 
which will ever do them credit, and Lieutenant 
Pearson, of the same regiment, were almost the 
foremost in this service : the first man who 
jumped into the mizen chains was Captain Berry, 
late my first lieutenant, (Captain Miller was in 
the very act of going also, but I ordered him to re- 
main): he was supported from our sprit-sail yard, 
which hooked in the mizen rigging. A soldier of 
the 69th regiment having broken the upper quar- 
ter-gallery window, I jumped in myself, and was 
followed by others as fast as possible. I found 
the cabin doors fastened, and some Spanish offi- 
cers fired their pistols ; but having broken open 
the doors, the soldiers fired ; and the Spanish Bri- 
gadier (commodore with a distinguishing pendant) 
fell, as retreating to the quarter-deck. I pushed 
immediately onwards for the quarter-deck, where 
I found Captain Berry in possession of the poop; 
and the Spanish ensign hauling down, I passed 
with my people, and Lieutenant Pearson, on the 
larboard gangway, to the forecastle, where I met 
two or three Spanish officers, prisoners to my 



56 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

seamen : they delivered me their swords. A fire 
of pistols or muskets opening from the admiral's 
stern-gallery of the San Josef, I directed the sol- 
diers to fire into her stern ; and calling to Cap- 
tain Miller, ordered him to send more men into 
the San Nicholas ; and directed my people to 
board the first-rate, which was done in an instant, 
Captain Berry assisting me into the main-chains. 
At this moment a Spanish officer looked over the 
quarter-deck rail, and said they had surrendered. 
From this most welcome intelligence it was not 
long before I was on the quarter-deck, where the 
Spanish captain, with a bow, presented me his 
sword, and said the admiral was dying of his 
wounds. I asked him, on his honor, if the ship 
was surrendered ; he declared she was : on which 
I gave him my hand, and desired him to call on 
his officers and ship's company, and tell them of 
it; which he did :— and on the quarter-deck of a 
Spanish first-rate, extravagant as the story may- 
seem, did I receive the swords of vanquished Spa- 
niards : which, as i received, I gave to William 
Fearney, one of my bargemen, who put them, 
with the greatest sang froid, under his arm. I 
was surrounded by Capt. Berry, Lieut. Pearson,* 
of the 6Sth regiment, John Sykes, John Thom- 



* Lieutenant, afterwards Captain Pearson, died in the 
year 1801, aged 27 years, as he was returning home fropa 
Honduras, 



I 



LORD NELSON. 57 

son, Francis Cooke, all old Agamemnons,"^ and 
several other brave men, seamen, and soldiers. 
Thus fell these ships! 

N. B. In boarding the San Nicholas, T believe 
we lost about seven killed and ten wounded, and 
about twenty Spaniards lost their lives by a fool- 
ish resistance. None were lost, I believe, in 
boarding the San Josef. 

CHOHATIO NELSON. 
Signed ^ RALPH WILLETT MILLER. 
(E. BERRY. 

What the commodore's modesty prevented him 
from relating more fully, shall now be supplied 
from the circumstantial narrative of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Drinkwater, by which it will appear how 
much of the honour of this glorious action is to 



* The commodore had learned duly to appreciate the 
▼alour of the crew of the Agamemnon, in the variety of 
service in which she was engaged in the Mediterranean, 
while under his command. When that ship came into dock 
to be refitted, in October, 1796, she had not a mast, yard, 
sail, or any part of her rigging, but what was so cut to 
pieces with shot, that it was obliged to be repaired. Her 
bull had long been kept together by cables served round. 

It was in this vessel, that when he once put into Cadiz to 
water, previous to the commencement of hostilities with 
Spain, he exclaimed, on beholding the Spanish fleet : — • 
*' These ships are certainly the finest in the world ! Thank 
God, the Spaniards cannot build men !" 
G 



58 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

be ascri- ed to the skill and conduct of the daring 
Nelson. 

When Sir John Jervis, on the fourteenth of 
February, had accomplished his bold intention 
of breaking the enemy's line, the Spanish admi- 
ral, who had been separated to windward with 
his main body, consisting of eighteen ships of the 
line, from nine ships that were cut off to leeward, 
appeared to make a movement, as if with a view 
to join the latter. This design was completely 
frustrated by the timely opposition of Commo- 
dore Nelson, whose station, in the rear of the 
British line, afforded him an opportunity of ob- 
serving this manoeuvre: his ship, the Captain, 
had no sooner passed the rear of the enemy's 
ships, that were to windward, than he ordered 
her to wear, and stood on the other tack towards 
the enemy. 

In executing this bold and decisive manoeuvre, 
the commodore reached the sixth ship from the 
enemy's rear, which bore the Spanish admiral's 
flag, the Santissima Trinidada, of J 36 guns, a 
ship of four decks, reported to be the largest in 
the world. Notwithstanding the inequality of 
force, the commodore immediately engaged this 
colossal opponent ; and for a considerable time 
had to contend, not only with her, but with her 
seconds a-head and a-stern, each of three decks. 
While he maintained this unequal combat, whicb 

3 



LORD NELSON. 59 

was viewed with admiration, mixed with anxiety, 
his friends were flying to his support : the enemy's 
attention was soon directed to the Culloden, Cap- 
tain Troubridge, and, in a short time after, to 
the Blenheim, of 90 guns, Captain Frederick, 
who opportunely came to his assistance. 

The intrepid conduct of the commodore stag- 
gered the Spanish admiral, who already appeared 
to waver in pursuing his intention of joining the 
ships cut off by the British fleet ; when the Cullo- 
den's timely arrival, and Captain Troubridge's 
spirited support of the commodore, together with 
the approach of the Blenheim, followed by Rear- 
Admiral Parker, with the Prince George, Orion, 
Irresistible and Diadem, not far distant, deter- 
mined the Spanish admiral to change his design 
altogether, and to throw out the signal for the 
ships of the main body to haul their wind, and to 
make sail on the larboard tack. 

Not a moment was lost in improving the advan- 
tage now apparent in favour of the British squad- 
ron : as the ships of Rear-Ad miral Parker's divi- 
sion approached the enemy's ships in support of 
the Captain (Commodore Nelson's ship) and her 
gallant seconds, the Blenheim and Culloden, the 
cannonade became more animated and impres- 
sive. In this manner did Commodore Nelson 
engage a Spanish three-decker, until he had 
nearly expended all the ammunition in his ship, 
G 2 



60 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

which had suffered the loss of her fore-top masty 
and received such considerable damage in her 
sails and rigging, that she was almost rendered 
hors du combat. At this critical period the Spa-^ 
nish three-decker, having lost her mizen-mast, 
fell on bo?.rd a Spanish two-decker, of 84 gunsj 
that was her second : this latter ship, conse- 
quently, now became the commodore's opponent, 
and a most vigorous fire was kept up for some 
time by both ships, within pistol-shot. 

It was now that the commodore's ship lost 
many men, and that the damages already sus- 
tained, through the long and arduous conflict 
which she had maintained, appeared to render 
a continuance of the contest in the usual way 
precarious, or perhaps impossible. At this cri- 
tical moment, the commodore from a sudden 
impulse, instantly resolved on a bold and decisive 
measure; and determined, whatever might be 
the event, to attempt his opponent sword in hand : 
— the boarders were summoned, and orders given 
to lay his ship on board the enemy. 

Fortune favours the brave ; nor, on this occa- 
sion, was she unmindful of her favourite. Ralph 
Willett Miller, the commodore's captain, so ju- 
diciously directed the course of his ship, that he 
laid her a-board the star-board quarter of the 
Spanish eighty-four : — her sprit-sail yard passing 
over the enemy's poop, and hooking in her mizen 



. LORD NELSON. 6l 

shrouds ; when the word to board being given, 
the officers and seamen destined for this perilous 
duty, headed by Lieutenant (now Sir Edward) 
Berry, together with the detachment of the 69th 
regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Pearson, 
then doing duty as marines, on board the Cap- 
tain, passed with rapidity on board the enemy's 
ship ; and, in a short time, the San Nicholas was 
in the possession of her intrepid assailants. The 
commodore's ardour would not permit him to 
remain an inactive spectator of this scene. He 
was aware the attempt was hazardous, and he 
thought his presence might animate his brave 
companions, and contribute to the success of this 
bold enterprize: he, therefor^, as if by magic 
impulse, accompanied the party in this attack, 
passing from the fore-chains of his own ship into 
the enemy's quarter-gallery, and thence through 
the cabin to the quarter-deck, where he arrived 
in time to receive th'e sword of the dying com- 
mander, who had been mortally wounded by the 
boarders. He had not been long employed in 
taking the necessary measures to secure this hard- 
earned conquest, when he found himself engaged 
in a more arduous task. The stern of the three- 
decker, his former opponent, was placed directly 
amidship of the weather-beam of the prize San 
Nicholas, and from her poop and galleries the 
enemy sorely annoyed, with musquetry, the 



€S 



6^ PROFESSIONAL LIFE. OF 

British who had boarded the San Nicholas. The 
commodore was not long in resolving on the con- 
duct to be adopted on this momentous occa- 
sion; the two alternatives that presented them- 
selves to his unshaken mind, were to quit the 
prize, or instantly board the three-decker. Con- 
fident in the bravery of his seamen, he deter- 
mined on the latter. Directing, therefore, an 
additional number of men to be sent from the 
Captain on board the San Nicholas, the undaunt- 
ed commodore, whom no danger ever appalled, 
headed himself the assailants in this new attack, 
exclaiming: — '* Westminster Abbey, or 

GLORIOUS VICTORY !" 

Success in a few minutes, and with little loss, 
crowned the enterprize. Such, indeed, was the 
panic occasioned by his preceding conduct, that 
the British no sooner appeared on the quarter- 
deck of their new opponent, than the Command- 
ant advanced, and asking" for the British com- 
manding-officer, dropped on one knee, and pre- 
sented his sword ; apologizing, at the same time, 
for the Spanish admiral's not appearing, as he 
was dangerously wounded. For a moment com- 
modore Nelson could scarcely persuade himself 
of the reality of this second instance of good for- 
tune : he, therefore, ordered the Spanish conl- 
mandant, who had the rank of a brigadier, to 
assemble the officers on the quarter-deck, and to 



LORD NELSON. 63 

direct means to be takea instantly for communi- 
cating to the crew the surrender of the ship. All 
the officers immediately appeared ; and the com- 
modore had the surrender of the San Josef duly 
confirmed, by each of them delivering his sword. 

The coxswain of the commodore's barge had 
attended close by his side throughout this peri- 
lous attempt. To him the commodore gave in 
charge the swords of the Spanish officers as he 
received them ; and the undaunted tar, as they 
were delivered to him, tucked these honourable 
trophies under his arm with all the coolness ima- 
ginable. It was at this moment also, that a Bri- 
tish sailor, who had long fought under the com- 
modore, came up in the fulness of his heart, and 
excusing the liberty he was taking, asked to shake 
him by the hand, to congratulate him upon see- 
ing him safe on the quarter-deck of a Spanish 
three-decker. 

This new conquest had scarcely submitted, and 
the commodore returned on board the San Ni- 
cholas, when the latter ship was discovered to be 
on fire in two places. At the first moment ap- 
pearances were alarming ; but the presence of 
mind and resources of the commodore and his 
officers, in this emergency, soon got the fire un- 
der. 

A signal was immediately made by the Captain 
for boats to assist in disentangling her from the 



64 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

two prizes ; and as she was incapable of farther 
service until refitted, the commodore again hoist- 
ed his pendant for the moment, on board La Mi- 
nerve frigate ; and in the evening shifted it to the 
Irresistible, Captain Martin ; but as soon as the 
Captain was refitted, he re-hoisted his pendant 
on board the latter ship. 

For such distinguished gallantry on the ^1 4th 
of February, he received the insignia of the Bath, 
and a gold medal from his Sovereign, and was 
also presented with the freedom of the city of 
London. 

The following extracts from letters written soon 
after the period of this victory, to a friend in En- 
gland, shew, in a striking manner, that temper of 
mind which he ever displayed in his actions. The 
first is dated " Irresistible, off Lagos Bay, March 
l6th/' In this he says : ^M am here looking for 
the Viceroy of Mexico, with three sail of the hue, 
and I hope to meet him. Two first- rates and a 
seventy-four are with him, but the larger the 
ships the better the mark. The Spanish fleet is 
in Cadiz; the officers hooted and pelted by the 
mobility. Their first report was, the action hap- 
pening on a foggy day, when the fog cleared up 
they only saw fifteen sail of the line, therefore 
concluded, at least, five of ours were sunk in the 
action. My usual good fortune atterided me, 
which 1 know will give you and my other friends 



LORD NELSON. 65 

satisfaction/' In the second, dated " Captain, 
off Cadiz, April 10/' he thus expresses himself: 
" Many thanks for your most kind congratula- 
tions on our success ; but I hope the good people 
of England will have something else to talk about 
— more recent victories ; for if our ships are but 
carried close by the officers, 1 will answer for a 
British fleet being always successful. The Spa- 
niards threaten us they will come out and take 
their revenge ; the sooner the better ; but I will 
not believe it till I see it ; and if they do, what 
will the mines of Mexico and Peru signify com- 
pared with the honor I doubt not we shall gain 
by fighting an angry Don ; they will have 30 sail 
of the line, we 2u, or 22, but I fear we shall have 
a peace before they are ready to come out/' 

In the month of April, Sir Horatio Nelson 
hoisted his flag as rear-admiral of the blue, and 
soon afterwards shifted it from the Captain to the 
Theseus, and was appointed to the command of 
the inner squadron engaged in the blockade of 
Cadiz. In this duty his personal courage was, if 
possible, more conspicuous than in any of his 
former services. On the 3d of July he made an 
attack on the gun-boats and armed launches of 
the Spaniards, which had come out, pursued 
them to ihe walls of Cadiz with considerable da- 
mage, and the loss of two gun-boats and one 
launch, that were taken. 
II 



00 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

On this occasion, Sir Horatio being in his 
barge with only its usual complement often men 
and the coxswain, accompanied by Captain Free- 
mantle, the commander of the Spanish gun- 
boats, Don Miguel Tyrason, in a barge rowed 
by t*wenty-six oars, and carrying thirty men iji- 
cluding officers, made a most desperate attempt 
to overpower the British hero and his brave com- 
panions. The contest was long and doubtful ; 
they fought hand to hand with their swords; 
twice was the admiral's life saved by his faithful 
coxswain, John Sykes, who parried several blows 
aimed at him, and mortally wounded his assail- 
ants. At length, eighteen of the Spaniards being 
killed, the commandant and all the rest wounded, 
the rear-admiral, with bis gallant crew, succeeded 
in carrying the enemy's barge. With that gene- 
rosity which is ever inseparable from true valor, 
he pays a handsome tribute of praise to the gal- 
lantry of Don Miguel Tyrason, " whose resist- 
ance,^' he says, in his letter to the commander-in- 
chief, " was such as to do honor to a brave of- 
ficer." 

Sir John Jervis, in his report of this affair to 
the Admiralty, dated the 5th of July, says : " The 
rear-admiral, who is always present in the most 
arduous enterprises, with the assistance of some 
other barges, boarded and carried two of the ene- 
nvy*s gun-boats, and a large launch belonging to 



LORD NELSON. 67 

one of their ships of war, with the commandant 
of the flotilla. Rear-Admiral Nelson's actions 
speak for themselves ; any praise of mine would 
fall very far short of his merit/' 

On the night of the 5th, Sir Horatio ordered 
a second bombardment of Cadiz, which produced 
considerable effect upon the town, and among 
the shipping. On the night of the Sth he medi- 
tated another operation under his own immediate 
direction, but the wind blew so strong down the 
bay, that it was found impossible to bring up the 
bomb-vessels to the point of attack in time. 

The Earl of St. Vincent, from a variety of intel- 
ligence he had received, was led to believe that 
the town of Santa Cruz in the island of Tene- 
riffe was an assailable object. On the 15th of 
July, he therefore directed Rear-Admiral Nelson 
to make an attack on that place. On the 25th, at 
half-past five in the evening, the squadron came 
to an anchor a few miles to the northward of 
Santa Cruz; and the rear-admiral finding it im- 
possible for the ships to approach sufficiently near 
the town to cannonade it with any effect, ordered 
a body of one thousand seamen and marines to 
be immediately landed, under the direction of 
Captains Troubr^dge, Hood, Thomson, Free- 
mantle, Bowen, Miller, and Waller, who hand- 
somely volunteered their services. At eleven 
o'clock the men were all in the boats, and rowed 
H 2 



68 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

towards the shore in six divisions. Captains 
Freeman tie and Bov/en accompanied the rear- 
admiral to regulate the attack. At half-past one 
in the morning, the boats had approached the 
Mole-head within half gun-shot midiscovered, 
when the alarm-bells suddenly rang, and a tre- 
mendous fire was opened from one end of the 
town to the other. The Fox cutter, with about 
1 80 men on board, received a shot under water 
on her approaching the town, and instantly sunk : 
Lieutenant Gibson, her commander, and 96 men 
perished. The same melancholy fate befel the 
boat in which were Captain Bo wen and his first 
lieutenant, who were saved. The night being ex- 
tremely dark, the boats were unable to keep toge- 
ther; the rear-admiral, with Captains Thomson 
and Freemantle, and four or five boats, landed 
at the Mole, which they stormed and carried, 
although defended by four or five hundred men, 
and six 24-pounders, which they spiked. Capt. 
Bowen was killed while engaged in this business.* 

* " Among the killed/* says the rear-admiral, in his 
dispatch to Earl St. Vincent, *' it is with the deepest sor- 
row I have to place the name of Captain Richard Bowen, 
of his Majesty's ship, Terpsichore, than whom a more able, 
enterprizing, and gallant officer, does not grace his Ma- 
jesty's naval service." 

How deservedly this praise was bestowed on Captain 
Bowen will appear when it is recollected how nobly he had 



LORD NELSON. 69 

Such a heavy fire of musketry and grape-shot was 
kept up from the citadel and the houses at the 
Mole-head, that it was impossible to advance, and 



distinguished himself in the Terpsichore of 32 guns, and 
215 men, in the preceding year. Being on a cruize off 
Carthagena, at day-light in the morning of the 13th of 
October, 1796, he discovered a frigate to windward, ap- 
parently in chase of him, and, at the same moment, a 
small Spanish vessel which he conceived to be a tender 
passed him, steering for Carthagena. Captain Bowen's 
situation was not the most desirable for engaging a ship 
which seemed much superior in size, his crew being consi- 
derably reduced by having left thirty men at the hospital, 
and having a still greater number on board either danger- 
ously ill, or in a convalescent state. In addition to this 
disadvantage, he was not far distant from an enemy's port, 
so that, in the event of a victory, he could sarceiy flatter 
himself with being able to carry off his prize. Relying 
however, on the tried valor of his remaining crew, with 
whom he had experienced a variety of service for two years 
and a half, he resolved, at all hazards, to risk an action 
rather than suffer a king's ship to be disgraced, or the cha- 
racter of a British seaman tarnished by an attempt to fly 
from an enemy not much superior, excepting in bulk. 
He, therefore, continued to stand on without any altera- 
tion of his course. At half past nine, A. M. the enemy- 
came within hail, and hauled up on the Terpsichore's 
weather-beam. As Captain Bowen conceived the enemy- 
only wanted to place himself, and point his guns with 
greater advantage, he ordered a gun to be fired to try 
his intentions. This was instantly answered with a whole 
broadside. Tlie Terpsichore returned the attack with such 
2 



70 PROFESSIOISAL LIFE OF 

the whole party was, almost to a man, either killed 
or wounded. The rear-admiral himself lost his 
right arm by a cannon-shot, and Captains Thom- 
son and Freemantle were slightly wounded. In 
the mean time Captains Troubridge, Hood, Mil- 
ler, and Waller, landed with many of the boats 
a little to the southward of the citadel, passing 
through a violent surf, which stove the boats, 



an unremitting fire, that the greatest part of the Spaniards 
were soon driven from their guns. The captain, a high- 
spirited officer, rallied the few men on whom he could pre- 
vail to stand by him, and maintained the contest for nearly 
an hour and a half, when the Terpsichore drew up along 
side, with all her guns charged and pointed. Captain 
Bowen now hailed her commander, entreating him to 
save himself and the remainder of his people, and not per- 
severe any longer in a fruitless resistance. It was not v/ith- '^ 
out considerable difficulty that he prevailed on his gallant 
enemy to avoid certain destruction by striking his colours, 
though almost all his crew had run from their quarters, and 
the ship was nearly a wreck. She proved to be the Ma- 
honesa, of 34 guns, besides cohorns and swivels, cora- 
raanded by Thomas ilgalda. In this action, in which the 
enemy had 30 men killed, and as many wounded, Capt, 
Bowen lost none of his brave crew, and had only 4 wounded. 
In December, the same year, Capt. Bowen, after an ob- 
stinate engagement of above an hour, took the French fri- 
gate. La Vestale, of 36 guns, and oOO men, but being 
able to spare no more than one officer, and eight seamen, 
to take cere of the prize, the crew again made themselves 
masters of the ship, and escaped into Cadiz. 



LORD NELSON. 71 

and wetted all the amunition. Notwithstand- 
ing these difficulties, they pushed over the line 
wall and took possession of the town. Their 
force consisted of 80 marines, as many pike-men, 
and 180 small-armed seamen. Having formed 
in the great square of the town, Captain Trou- 
bridge determined to storm the citadel, but on his 
approach, he found it too strong to render such 
an attempt praciicable. 

At day-light, finding that it would be impossi- 
ble to make any farther impression on the town, 
Captain Troubridge sent a message to the go- 
vernor, informing him, that if he should be per- 
mitted to embark his men without molestation, 
the squadron before the town w^ould not injure it. 
The governor returned for answer, that he 
thought, in their situation, the English ought to 
surrender themselves prisoners of war. Cap- 
tain Troubridge, with the true spirit of a British 
seaman, replied, that, unless the terms he had 
offered were accepted, in five minutes he would 
set the town on fire, and attack the Spaniards at 
the point of the bayonet. This produced com- 
pliance on the part of the governor, Don Juan 
Antonio Gutierrez, who, with a generosity truly 
worthy of admiration, furnished the retreating 
invaders with a ratio of biscuit and wine, and at 
the same time intimated to the rear-admiral, that 
he was at liberty to send on shore, and purchase 



72 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

whatever refreshments the squadron stood in need 
of, as long as they remained off the island. 

On this disastrous night, in which two hundred 
and forty-six gallant officers, seamen, and ma- 
rines were killed, drowned, and wounded, the 
life of Sir Horatio Nelson was providentially sav- 
ed by Lieutenant Nisbet, the son of his wife, by 
her former marriage. The admiral received his 
wound soon after his detachment had landed. — 
The shock struck him to the ground, and the 
party pressing on with the usual ardour of British 
seamen, he was left for some minutes by himself. 
Lieutenant Nisbet missing him, turned back, and 
after some search in the dark, found his brave 
father-in-law extended on the ground, with his 
arm * shattered, and apparently lifeless. He in- 
stantly bound his neck-handkerchief round the 
admiral's arm, and raising him upon his back, 
carried him to the beach. With the assistance 
of some sailors he carried him into one of the 
boats, and put off to the Theseus, under a tre- 
mendous, though ill-directed, fire from the ene* 
my's battery. The same night, at ten o'clock, 
his arm was amputated on board the Theseus ; 

* The sword which the commodore used on this occasion, 
was bequeathed to him by Admiral Walpole on his death- 
bed j stating, as a reason for the bequest, that it was the 
sword he carried when he lost his arm in vanquishing the 
enemies of his country. 



LORD NELSON. 73 

and such was the command he possessed over 
himself, amid pain and bodily affliction, that he 
immediately began his official letter, which he 
finished by eleven. The following day he like- 
wise wrote to Lady Nelson, and after relating the 
circumstances that had so recently occurred, he 
concluded : 'M know it will add much to your 
pleasure, in finding that your son Josiah, under 
God's providence, was instrumental in saving my 
life/'* 

Although this enterprize was unsuccessful, yet 
his Majesty's arms acquired ' by the attempt a 
great degree of lustre ; and, as the rear-admiral 



^- Though there is ever^' reason to believe, that the above 
is a correct statement of this affair, yet a positive contradic- 
tion of it has appeared. According to the other account, 
the circumstances attending the admiral's misfortune were 
as follovir : Soon after landing, as the party were advancing, 
the admiral was struck by the shot, which carried away his 
arm at the elbow. He instantly turned to Captain Thomp- 
son, who, witli Mr. John Ebetson, midshipman, Andrew 
Webb, and James Ryan, seamen, all of the Leander, were 
close behind him, and exclaimed : " The Dons have me at 
last !'* Captain Thompson and the above-mentioned party 
assisted in binding up his arm, and the seamen accompani- 
ed him to the beach, where they placed him in a boat,, and 
took him on board the Theseus. It is likewise said, that he 
afterwards allowed Andrew Webb, now (1805) a serjeant 
in the loth foot, an annuity of five pounds, for his services 
on this occasion. 

I 



74 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

himself expresses it, in his letter to the Earl of St. 
Vincent, more daring intrepidity was never shewn, 
than by the captains, officers, and men, he had 
the honor to command. 

The painful operation of amputating his arm 
having been performed on board, at night, in 
consequence of some mistake in taking up the 
arteries. Sir Horatio was afterwards afflicted with 
excruciating pains, and was obliged to quit, for a 
time, the theatre of his achievements and his 
glory, and to repair to England for advice. 



LORD NELSON. 75 



CHJP. III. 



FROM 1797 TO 1798. 

Sir Horatio Nelson's Memorial of Services — Receives a 
pension from his Majesty — Hoists his flag on board the 
Vanguard, and joins the fleet under Earl St. Vincent — Is 
detached into the Mediterranean with three ships — Is 
joined by a reinforcement of ten sail — Pursues the 
French fleets-Proceeds to Egypt — Returns to Sicily — 
Steers a second time for Alexandria — Attacks the French 
fleet in the bay of Aboukir — Particulars of the engage- 
ment — The admiral is wounded — His letter announcing 
the victory — Line of battle of the French and English 
fleets — ^The admiral's letter to the governor of Bombay — 
He is presented by Captain Hallowell with a coffin, 
made from the main-mast of L'Orient— His arrival at 
Naples. 

This misfortune having imposed on the gallant 
rear-admiral a temporary suspension of his labors, 
he reluctantly repaired to England. On his first 
appearance at court, he was received in the most 
gracious and tender manner by his sovereign, 
who expressed his sorrow at the loss which he 
had sustained, and the impaired state of his 
health, which might deprive his country of his 
I 2 



76 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

future services. '^ You have lost your right arm/' 
observed the king. '' But not my right hand," 
replied Sir Horatio, ** as I have the honor of 
presenting Captain Berry to you; and besides, 
may it please your Majesty, 1 can never think 
that a loss which the performance of my duty has 
occasioned, and so long as 1 have a foot to stand 
on, I will combat for my king and country!'' 

As a small conpensation for a whole life of 
danger, hardship, enterprize, and service, he re- 
ceived, towards the conclusion of the year 1797? 
a pension of one thousand pounds per annum. — 
Previous to the issuing of this grant, a positive 
custom required, that he should distinctly state 
his services in a memorial to his Majesty; and 
one more brilliant never met the eye of the sove- 
reign of a brave nation. The following is a copy 
of it.— 

" To the King's most excellent Majesty, the Memorial of 
Sir Horatio Nelson,, K. B, and a Rear-Admiral in your 
Majesty's Fleet. 

" HUMBLY SHEWETH, 

" That during the present war your memorialist has been 
in four actions with the fleets of the enemy ; viz. on the 
13th and 14th of March, 1795, on the 13th of July, 1795, 
and on the 14th of February, 1797 ; in three actions with 
frigates^ in six engagements against batteries; in ton ac- 
tions, in boats, employed in cutting out of harbors, in 
destroying vessels, and in taking three towns. Your me- 
Hiorialist has also served on shore four months, and coft\- 



LORD NELSON. 77 

manded the batteries at the sieges of Bastia and Calvi : 
that, during the war, he has assisted at the capture of seven 
sail of the line, six frigates, four corvettes, and eleven pri- 
vateers of different sizes ; and taken and destroyed near fiftj 
merchant vessels ; and your memorialist has actually been 
engaged against the enemy upwards of one hundred and 
twenty times. In which service your memorialist has lost 
his right eye and right arm, and been severely wounded 
and bruised in his body; all of which services and wounds 
^-our memorialist most humbly submits to your Majesty's 
most gracious consideration. 

(Signed) " HORATIO NELSON." 

" Ocfober, 1797." 

It was the 1 3th of December, before the sur- 
geon who attended him, pronounced him fit for 
service ; * and on the 19th, as the ship intended to 
carry his flag was not ready, the Vanguard was 
commissioned for that purpose. On the 1st of 
April, 1798, Sir Horatio sailed with a convoy 

* The spirit of piety which ever pervaded the mind of 
this great man, was evidently conspicuous in every circum- 
stance of his life. After his recovery on this occasion, the 
following thanksgiving was read, by his desire, at St. 
George's, Hanover Square : 

'' An officer desires to return thanks to Almighty God 
for his recovery from a, severe wound, and also for the 
many mercies bestowed upon him. 

" Dec. 8, 1797, for next Sunday.'' 

The original of this paper, which was delivered by Lord 
Nelson himself to Mr. Greville of St. George's, is at present 
in the possession of his son, the Rev. Mr. Greville of Great 
IVIaddox Street. 



78 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

from Spithead ; but, at the back of the isle of 
Wight, the wind coming to the westward, he was 
obliged to return to St. Helen's. On the pth he 
again sailed with the convoy for Lisbon, and on 
the 29th joined Earl St. Vincent before Cadiz. 

To fight and to conquer had hitherto been fa- 
miliar to Sir .Horatio Nelson ; but he had always 
acted under the immediate direction of a supe- 
rior officer ; he was now about to enter a career, 
that called for the exercise of those energies and 
qualities which raise the true hero above the 
level of the mass of mankind, and constitute the 
character of a great commander. These, it will 
be seen, he not only fully possessed, but admira- 
bly exerted^ 

The French, it was well known, were at this 
time fitting out a most formidable armament at 
Toulon, the destination of which was kept a pro- 
found secret. No sooner had Sir Horatio joined 
the Earlof St. Vincent, than his lordship detached 
him to watch the motions of the enemy. He ac- 
cordingly sailed on the 30th of April, the day after 
his arrival, with the Orion and Alexander, of 74 
guns each, the Emerald and Terpsichore frigates, 
and La Bonne Citoyenne sloop of war. 

On the 9th of May the squadron sailed from 
Gibraltar, and nothing material occurred till the 
22d, at two o'clock in the morning, when a vio- 
lent squall of wind overtook the ships in the 



LORD NELSON. 79 

gulph of Lyons, and carried away the top-masts 
and fore-mast of the rear-admiral's ship the Van- 
guard. At the moment of tliis accident the 
squadron was not many leagues distant from the 
French fleet, under Buonaparte, which had, that 
very day, set sail from Toulon. The frigates 
having parted company, the three line of battle 
ships bore up for Sardinia, the Alexander taking 
the Vanguard in tow, and on the 24th they 
reached, with great difficulty, the road of St. 
Pierre, The rear-admiral was not only unable 
to obtain the assistance he had expected from the 
governor of that place, as a neutral port, but the 
latter had even received orders from the French 
not to admit any British ship into the harbor. 
He could not, however, prevent the squadron 
from anchoring in the road; and the resources 
which British seamen always find within them- 
selves, soon supplied every deficiency. By the 
active exertions of Captain Berry and the assis- 
tance of Captains Ball and Saumarez, the Van- 
guard was equipped with a jury fore-mast and 
top-mast, and on the fourth day after their ar- 
rival the squadron again put to sea. 

Eager to execute the orders he had received, 
the rear-admiral lost no time in sailing to some 
friendly port where he might have got his disabled 
ship refitted, nor did he express the smallest in- 
tention of shifting his flag, which the peculiar cir- 



"BO PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

cumstances of the Vanguard might have seemed 
to render desirable ; but immediately steered for 
the appointed rendezvous. There he arrived on 
the 4th of June, and the following day was joined 
by La Mutine, Captain Hardy, who brought the 
acceptable intelligence that Captain Troubridge 
had been detached from the fleet with ten sail of 
the line, and a fifty-gun ship, to reinforce the 
rear-admiral. This intelligence diffused universal 
joy throughout the little squadron, and Sir Ho- 
ratio observed with exultation to Captain Berry, 
that he should then be a match for any hostile 
fleet in the Mediterranean, which it would be his 
only desire to encounter. 

On the 6th the squadron was spread, anxiously 
looking out for the expected reinforcement, which 
was now the sole object of the rear admiral's at- 
tention and anxiety. He had received certain 
intelligence of the departure of the French from 
Toulon, and so entirely was his rnind engrossed 
with the desire of joining the promised reinforce- 
ment in order to pursue the enemy, that though 
he was informed, by a vessel he spoke with, that 
several sail then in sight were Spanish ships rich- 
ly laden, he refused to deviate from his course. 
Prize-money was not his object; all selfish con- 
siderations were absorbed in his great mind by 
his solicitude for the honor and the interest of his 
country. On the 8th, at noon, ten sail were dis- 



LORD NELSON. gl 

covered from the mast-head ; they were soon 
found to be British ships of war, and at sun-set 
the junction so ardently desired by the admiral 
was effected. 

Sir Horatio had received no instructions what 
course he was now to steer, nor had he any certain 
intelHgence relative to the destination of the hos- 
tile armament. He was therefore left entirely to 
his own judgment, and knowing that the enemy 
had sailed with a north-west wind, he was na- 
turally led to conclude that they were bound up 
the Mediterranean. He immediately dispatched 
La Mutine to Civita Vecchia, and along the Ro- 
man coast, to oVjtain intelligence, while he him- 
self steered with the fleet for Corsica, which 
island they reached on the 12th of June. Unable 
to learn any thing there, the admiral on the fol* 
lowing day continued his course to the Roman 
coast, where he was rejoined by La Mutine. 
Captain Hardy had been equally unsuccessful, 
and the admiral now resolved to steer towards 
Naples, in the hope of gaining seme satisfactory 
information. 

On the l6th the fleet came in sight of Mount 
Vesuvius, and Captain Troubridge was dispatched 
in La INIutine to obtain what intelligence he could 
from Sir William Hamilton. He returned, with 
a report only, that the French had sailed towards 
Malta. Lamenting that even a day had been lost 

K 



6^ PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

by visiting Naples, the admiral pushed by the^ 
shortest cut through the Faro di Messina, which 
the fleet passed on the 20th. The joy with which 
the arrival of Sir Horatio was hailed by the Sici^ 
lians gave sincere satisfaction to every one on 
board the squadron. Here the admiral received 
information from the British consul that Malta 
had actually surrendered to the French, and he 
instantly formed a plan for attacking their fleet in 
the harbour of Goza, where it was reported to be 
then at anchor. 

The squadron immediately bore away for Malta 
with a pressof sail, but at day-light on the 22d of 
June, La JMutine spoke with a Genoese brig 
from that island, which gave intelligence that the 
French had sailed on the 18th, with a fresh gale 
at north-west. The admiral was not long in de- 
termining what course to take ; the signal to bear 
up, and to steer to the south-east with all possible 
sail was instantly made. He now concluded that 
Egypt was the object of the enemy's destination, 
and to Egypt he accordingly proceeded. On the 
way the fleet spoke with only three vessels, two 
of which had come from Alexandria, and the 
other from the Archipelago, without having seen 
any thing of the French. On the 29th of June 
the Pharos of Alexandria was discovered, and 
nearing the land with a press of sail, the admiral 
perceived, to his great surprize and disappoint- 



LORD NELSON. 83 

ment, that there was not a single French ship ia 
either of the harbors. The governor of Alex- 
andria was as much astonished at the sight of the 
British squadron, as he was at the information 
that a French fieet was probably on its passage 
for that place. 

Disappointed, but not discouraged, the admi- 
ral now deeply and anxiously deliberated what 
could possibly have been the course of the French 
fleet, or their ultimate destination. His restless 
and active mind would not permit him to remain 
a moment in the same place ; he, therefore, 
shaped his course northward, for the coast ofCa- 
ramanea, to reach as quickly as possible some 
place where information might be obtained, and 
likewise to take in a supply of water, of which 
the ships began to run short. On the 4th of July 
the fleet made the coast of Caranianea; and, 
steering along the south side of the island of 
Candia, under a press of sail both night and day, 
with a contrary wind, on the 18th came again in 
sight of the island of Sicily. The admiral re- 
solved to enter the port of Syracuse, a harbor 
with which not a person in the fleet was ac-. 
quainted. Every ship, however, got safely in, 
through the skill and judgment of the officers, 
and immediately began to take in water with all 
possible expedition. By the promptitude and 
uncommon exertions of every individual in the 
K 2 



84 PROFESSIONAL LIFE Of 

fleet, this necessary service was completed in ^ve 
days. While at Syracuse the admiral received 
vague accounts that the enemy had not been seen 
either in the Archipelago or the Adriatic, and he 
was likewise assured that they had not gone down 
the Mediterranean. This confirmed him in his- 
former opinion that Egypt was the object of their 
destination. Though the pursuit v/as still uncer- 
tain, yet neither former disappointment nor the 
hardships and fatigues already endured, could 
deter him from steering to the quarter where 
there was a chance of finding the enemy.* 



♦ It appears, at first sight, not a little extraordinary that 
(he French fieet should have been missed by the gallant 
admiral both on his first passage to Egypt and his return to 
Syracuse ; but this circumstance is very clearly account- 
ed for in the following manner : The French steered 
for Candia, and consequently made an angular pas- 
sage to Alexandria; the English fleet, on the contrary, 
steered directly for that place. The smallness of the latter 
made it necessary to sail in close order, and therefore the 
space which it covered was very limited. Besides, the ad- 
miral had no frigates that he could have detached upon the 
look-out, and the constant haze of the atmosphere in that 
climate, still farther diminished the chance of descrying 
the enemy. The distance between Candia and the coast 
of Barbary being about 35 leagues, affords sufficient space 
for two large fleets to pass without mutual observation, espe- 
cially under the circumstances already stated. From the 
circumstance of the British fleet steering up to the north- 



LORD NELSOK. 85 

On the 25th of July the squadron left Syracuse. 
Sir Horatio had still received no positive informa- 
tion concerning the enemy, but it occurred to him 
that some authentic intelhgence might be ob- 
tained in the Morea. He steered for that coast, 
and, on the 28th, being off the gulph of Coron, 
Captain Troubridge was dispatched to that place 
in the Culloder. In less than three hours he re- 
turned with an account from the governor of Co- 
ron, that the enemy had been seen about four 
weeks before, proceeding in a south-east direc- 
tion from Candia. Upon this information the ad- 
miral resolved once more to visit Alexandria, and 
accordingly steered for that place. 

At noon, on the 1st of August, the squadron 
came in sight of the harbour of Alexandria, which 
was soon discovered to be full of vessels, and the 
French flag was perceived flying on board of some 
of the ships. Every bosom swelled with joy at 
the sight of the enemy, and none received from it 
more heart-felt satisfaction than the admiral him- 
self. 

On the valour and conduct of every captain in 
the squadron. Sir Horatio justly placed the firm- 
est reliance. During the whole of his cruize, it 



ward on its return, while that of the enemy took a soathern 
course, it is obvious that their chance of meeting was stiU 
less than before. 



86 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

bad been his practice, whenever circumstances 
would permit, to assemble the captains on board 
the Vanguard, and there fully to explain to them 
his own ideas of the different and best modes of 
attack, together with such plans as he purposed 
to execute on falling in with the enemy, whatever 
might be their situation, by night or by day. 
There was no possible position in which they 
could be found, that he had not taken into his 
calculation, and for the most advantageous at- 
tack of which he had not digested and arranged 
the best possible disposition of his force. Each of 
the captains of his squadron was, therefore, tho- 
roughly acquainted with the masterly ideas of 
their admiral, on the subject of naval tactics; 
and, upon surveying the situation of the enemy, 
these officers could ascertain with precision what 
were the ideas and intentions of their commander, 
without the aid of any farther instructions. By 
these means signals were rendered almost unne- 
cessary, much time was saved, and the almost 
undivided attention of every captain could be 
paid to the conduct of his particular ship, a cir- 
cumxstance of almost incalculable advantage to the 
general service. 

The destination of the French armament was 
involved in doubt and vmcertainty. The admiral, 
however, was forcibly struck by the considera- 
tion, that as it was commanded by the mau 
6 



LORD NELSON. 87 

trhom the French had dignified with the title of 
the Conqueror of Italy, and as it had on board a 
very large body of troops, it was destined for 
some attempt which the land force might execute 
without the aid of the fleet. It therefore became 
a material consideration with him, in case he had 
fallen in with the hostile armament at sea, to pre- 
vent the transports from making their escape, and 
reaching in safety the place of rendezvous. He 
therefore formed a plan, so to arrange his force, 
as to engage the whole attention of the enemy's 
ships of war, and at the same time to destroy as 
many as possible of the convoy. Conformably 
to this plan, he had resolved to divide his force 
into three squadrons, in the following manner: 

VANGUARD, ORION, CULLODEN, 

MINOTAUR, GOLIATH, THESEUS, 

LEANDER, MAJI.SKC, ALEXANDER, 

AUDACIOUS, BELLEROPHON. SWIFTSURE. 
DEFENCE, 
ZEALOUS. 

Of these squadrons, two were to attack the 
ships of war, while the third was to pursue the 
transports, and to sink and destroy as many of 
them as it could. How well this plan was ar- 
ranged for annoying the enemy, must be obvious 
to every capacity, and no doubt can be enter- 
tained, that, had circumstances occasioned it to 
be put into execution, the success would have 
been as complete and as signal as that which 



S8 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

awaited his projected mode of attack at anchor. 
How deservedly the hero was entitled to all the 
glory he acquired by his success, must be ap- 
parent, when it is known that accident had no 
share in the victory ; but that all his plans were 
matured two months before an opportunity pre- 
sented of executing any of them, and that they 
were already familiar to the understanding of 
every captain in his fleet. 

The Pharos of Alexandria was discovered by 
the fleet at noon, on the first of August. The 
preceding evening the Alexander and Swiftsure 
had been detached a-head, to reconnoitre the 
ports of Alexandria, while the rest of the squad- 
ron remained in the offing. The enemy's fleet 
was first discovered by the Zealous, Captain 
Hood, who communicated, by signal, the number 
of their ships, sixteen, lying at anchor, in line of 
battle, in a bay, which was afterwards found to 
be that of Aboukir. The admiral instantly hauled 
his wind, a m.ovement that was observed and 
immediately followed by the whole squadron, and 
at the same time he recalled the Alexander and 
Swiftsure. 

At a quarter past three P. M, the admiral 
made the signal to prepare for battle, and at four, 
he directed the ships of his squadron to prepare 
to anchor with springs on their cables, and signi- 
fied his intention to engage the van and centre of 



LORD NELSON. 89 

the enemy. His idea in this disposition of his 
force was, first to secure the victory, and then to 
make the most of it, according to circumstances. 
The squadron stood in for the enemy's fleet, in 
close lixie of battle ; and as all the officers were 
totally unacquainted with the bay, each ship kept 
sounding as she advanced. 

Notwithstanding this precaution, Captain Trou- 
bridge, in his eager desire to gain a forward sta- 
tion in the contest, unfortunately ran aground on 
a reef of hidden rocks, that extends a considera- 
ble distance from the island, forming the north- 
west point of the bay of Aboukir. This unfortu- 
nate circumstance was severely felt at the mo- 
ment by the admiral, and all the officers of the 
squadron ; but nothing could equal the anxiety 
and the anguish of mind experienced by the cap^ 
tain himself, during so many eventful hours. Rut 
one consolation presented itself to him in the 
midst of the distresses of his situation, a feeble 
one it is true, that his ship served as a beacon to 
several others advancing close in his rear, and 
which might otherwise have experienced a similar 
misfortune. 

Never was more heroism displayed than in the 
prompt decision of the British admiral. When 
his squadron was well collected round him, he 
determined, without loss of time, to attack the 
foe, formidable as was their appearance ; supe- 

L 



50 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

rior in number, weight of metal, and size ; night 
coming on, and in an unknown navigation. His 
honor, his character, and his life were staked on 
the decision of the enterprize, for it was well 
known, that conquest or death was his deter- 
mined object. 

His resolution was instantly formed, and his in- 
tentions made known to the fleet, by the signal 
for the headmost ship to bear down and engage, 
as she reached the van of the enemy ; the next 
ship to pass by and engage the second ship of the 
line, and so on. With alacrity was this signal 
obej^ed : the sure presage of victory gladdened 
the heart of every Briton, and a general ardour 
pervaded all ranks. The commanders, with that 
courage which distinguishes men inured to dan- 
ger, saw the hazard of the contest and prepared 
to meet it. Their ships were trained to every ex- 
ercise of arms ; all means of preservation from 
fire, leaks, and other casualties, were arranged 
in order ; a bower cable was got out of the after 
part of each ship, and bent forward, that she 
might anchor by the stern ; the dreadful engines 
of destruction were ready primed and doubly 
loaded; the men at their quarters awaiting, in 
silent expectation, the orders of their superiors: 
the officers looking respectfully towards their cap- 
tains, and awaiting with firmness the awful mo- 
ment. The enemy's line presented a most for- 

1 



LORD NELSON. 91 

midable appearance : it was anchored in a com- 
pact order, close in with the shore, describing an 
obtuse angle in its form, flanked with gun-boats, 
mortar- vessels, and four large frigates, and \vith 
a battery of guns and mortars on an island, near 
which it was necessary to pass. This situation 
gave the enemy the most decided advantage, as 
they had nothing to attend to but their artillery, 
their superior skill in the use of which has so 
often secured them splendid victories on shore. 
In short, each ship being at anchor, became a 
fixed battery. 

This posjition of the French presented the most 
formidable obstacles : but these the admiral 
viewed with the eye of a seaman determined on 
attack. It instantly struck his comprehensive 
and penetrating mind, that where there was room 
for an enemy^s ship to swing, there must be 
room for one of his to anchor. No farther sig- 
nals than those already made were necessary, the 
admiraFs designs being fully known to the whole 
squadron. 

The Goliath, Captain Foley, had the honour 
to lead inside. The water was smooth, and a 
pleasant breeze soon brought him within reach of 
the guns of the enemy. About a quarter past six 
he received the first fire from the van ships, as 
well as from the batteries and gun-boats, with 
which their van was strengthened. In two mi- 
I. 2 



9'i PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

minutes he returned the fire, then doubled their 
line, and anchored alongside of the second ship 
in the van. Captain Hood, in the Zealous, fol- 
lowed close, and took his station on the bows of 
the Guerrier with great judgment. In twelve 
minutes the Guerrier was totally dismasted, and 
in ten minutes more the Goliath had likewise shot 
away the masts of her opponent, the Conquer- 
ant. 

The third ship that doubled the van of the 
French line was the Orion, commanded by Sir 
James Saumarez. A frigate, La Serieuse, fired 
upon him as he passed, and Sir James ordered a 
few guns to be pointed at her. A broadside was, 
however, discharged, and the frigate instantly 
sunk. He then proceeded and took his station 
on the larboard bow of the Frankhn, and the 
quarter of the Peuple Souverain, receiving and 
returning the fire of both. The Audacious, Cap- 
tain Gould, next followed, and dropped anchor 
on the bows of the Conquerant, where he com- 
menced a spirited and galling fire. Captain Mil- 
ler, in the Theseus, was the last that anchored 
between the French line and the shore. Passing 
between the Guerrier and the Zealous, he could 
not resist the opportunity which offered, as he 
brushed the Frenchman's sides, of pouring in an 
effective broadside : he then took his station on 
the larboard side of the Spartiate. 



LORD NELSON. 93 

The Vanguard, distinguished by the flag of 
Admiral Nelson,* now entered the battle. Aware 
of the impossibility of the rear of the enemy, 
which was to leeward, coming to the assistance 
of the van, he determined to redouble his efforts 
to conquer one part before he attacked the rest. 
In pursuance of that resolution, he himself set 
the example to the rest of his fleet, and anchored 
on the other side of the enemy's line, who, in 
consequence, were completely between two fires. 
So firmly resolved was Sir Horatio to conquer or 
to perish in the attempt, that he led into action 
with six ensigns or flags, red, white, and blue, 
flying in different parts of the rigging, and could 
not even bear to reflect on the possibility of the 
colors being carried away by a random shot from 
the enemy. The Vanguard having anchored 
within half- pistol-shot on the larboard side of 
the Spartiate, covered the approach of the 
ships in the rear, and opened a most animated 
fire on her opponent. In a few minutes every 
man stationed at the first six guns in the fore- 
part of the Vanguard's deck, were all either 

* Sir Horatio Nelson, as rear-admiral of the blue, carri- 
ed the blue flag at the mizen, but from a standing order of 
Earl St. Vincent, the coramander-in-chief, the squadron 
wore the white, or St. George's ensign, in the action ; and 
it is remarkable, that this occasioned the display of the 
Cross upon the renowned coast of Egypt. 



94 PRdFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

killed or wounded, and one gun in particular was 
repeatedly cleared. The admiral, however, kept 
up such a severe and well-directed fire, that being 
totally dismasted, and having lost a great num- 
ber of her crew, the Spartiate was obliged to call 
for quarter. 

When the Vanguard anchored alongside of the 
Spartiate, she became exposed, at the same time, 
to the raking are of L'Aquilon, the next ship in 
the enemy's line. Owing, however, to the gal- 
lant and judicious manner in which Captain Louis 
took his station a-head of the Vanguard, the 
Minotaur not only effectually reheved her from 
this distressing situation, but obliged her oppo- 
nent to strike to her superior prowess. 

The Bellerophon, commanded by Captain Dar- 
by, now entered the conflict, and running down 
the line, dropped anchor alongside of UOrient, 
of 120 guns, bearing the flag of the French com- 
mander-in-Chief, Admiral Brueys. Captam Pey- 
ton followed close, and with great judgment, 
took his station a-head of the Minotaur, by 
which the line remained unbroken : he engaged, 
on the larboard bow, the Franklin of 80 guns, 
which ship carried the flag of rear-admiral Blan- 
quet, the second in command. The Majestic, . 
commanded by Captain Westcott, next came into 
action, and closely engaged the Heureux on the 
starboard bow, receiving also the lire of the 



LORD NELSON. 95 

Tonnant, of 80 guns, astern of UOrient. Tlie 
superior weight of metal pouring in from those 
two ships, soon made dreadful havoc in the Ma- 
jestic. Captain Westcott* fell by a musket-shot, 
while exerting himself with the utmost gallantry 



* Captain Wtstcott was likewise present with Lord Howe 
m his memorable engagement with the Frencli fleet, on the 
1st of June, 1794. He then commanded the Impregnable^ 
of 98 guns, the flag-ship of Rear admiral Caldwell. 

This gallant officer was son of a baker in Devonshire, and 
was frequently sent by his father on business to the neigh- 
boring mill. . In one of these visits it happened that, from 
the accidental breaking of a rope, the machine was disorder- 
ed. Neither the owner nor his man being equal to the 
task of repairing the damage, young Westcott offered to use 
his skill in splicing the rope, although attended with consi- 
derable difficulty and danger. The miller complied, and 
was so well pleased with the manner in whicli the job was 
executed, that he told him he was fit for a sailor, since he 
could splice so well ; adding, that if he should ever have an 
inclination to go to sea, he would get him a birth. The pro- 
posal was accepted by the lad ; an opportunity presented 
itself, and he began his naval career in the humble capacity 
of a cabin-boy. In this situation he contrived to exercise 
his abilities to such good purpose, and evinced such acute- 
ness of understanding, that it was not long before he was 
introduced among the midshipmen. Farther advancement 
was the reward of his good conduct, and he became so sig- 
nally conspicuous both for skill and bravery, that he was ra- 
pidly promoted to the honorable station in which he lost his 
life. Had he survived the battle, his seniority of appoint- 
ment would have obtained him an adrairaPs flag. 



96 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

to counteract the advantages possessed by the 
enemy in size and number, by the energy and 
vivacity of his fire. Mr. Cuthbert, the first lieu- 
tenant, continued the unequal conflict with de- 
termined courage aid re6oiution. 

The Alexander and Swiftsure now came in for 
their share of glory. Having been prevented 
from assisting at the commencement of the bat- 
tle, by bearing down to reconnoitre Alexandria, 
and afterwards being obHged to alter their course, 
to avoid the shoal that had proved so fatal to the 
Culloden, it was eight o'clock before they came 
into action. For some time the combatants 
had been enveloped in total darkness, which 
was only dispelled by the frequent flashes from 
Cheir guns; and the volumes of smoke now 
rolling down the line, from the fierce fire of 
those engaged to windward, rendered it extremely 
difficult for those of the British ships that came 
in last to take their station to distinguish friend 
from foe. To remedy this evil. Admiral Nel- 
son directed his fleet to hoist four Hghts hori- 
zontally at the mizen-peak, as soon as it was 
dark. 

The Swiftsure was bearing down under a press 
of sail, and had got within range of the enemy^s 
guns, when Captain Hallowell perceived a ship 
standing out of action, under her fore- sail and 
foretop-sail, having no lights displayed. Sup- 



tORD NELSON. 97 

posing her to be an enemy, he was at first in- 
cHned to fire into her ; but as this would have 
broken the plan he had laid down for his con- 
duct, namely, not to suffer a shot to be fired till 
the sails were all clued up, and the ship had an- 
chored in her station, he desisted. Fortunate it 
was that he did, for the ship in question was af- 
terwards found to be the Bellerophon, which had 
sustained such serious damage from the over- 
whelming fire of the French Admiral's enormous 
ship, UOrient, that Captain Darby found it ne- 
cessary to fall out of the action, being himself 
wounded, having two lieutenants killed, and 
nearly two hundred men killed and wounded. 
His remaining mast falling soon afterwards, and 
killing in its fall several officers and men, among 
the rest another of his lieutenants, he was never 
^ble to regain his station. 

About eight o'clock the Swiftsure anchored in 
the place which had been before occupied by the 
Bellerophon, and immediately began a steady 
and well-directed fire on the quarter of the Frank- 
lin, and the bows of L'Orient. At the same 
instant the Alexander passed under the stern of 
the French admiral, and anchored within-side,, 
on his larboard quarter, raking him, and keeping 
up a severe fire of musketry on his decks. 

The last ship which entered this bloody con- 
flu;t was the Leander^ Captain Thompson bor^ 

H 



98 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OP 

up to the Culloden on seeing her strike, that he 
might afford any assistance in his power, to get 
her off from her unfortunate situation, but iind- 
mg that nothing could be done, and unwilhng 
that his services should be lost, where they could 
be more effective, he made sail for the scene of 
action. With a degree of judgment highly ho- 
norable to his professional character, be ad- 
vanced towards the enemy's line on the outside, 
and dropped his anchor athwart hawse of the 
Franklin, raking her with great success ; all the 
shot from the Leander's broadside, which passed 
that vessel striking the ship of the French com- 
mander-in-chief. 

In the van, four of the French ships had al- 
ready struck their colors to the British flag. The 
battle now raged chiefly in the centre. The Frank- 
lin, UOrient, Tonnant, and Heureux, were in hot 
action, making every exertion to recover the 
glory |that had been lost by their comrades. 
Meanwhile the British admiral, himself, received 
a dangerous wound. It was supposed to have 
proceeded from landgride-shot, or a piece of iron : 
the skin of his forehead, being cut with it at right 
angles, hung down over his face^ Captain Berry, 
who happened to stand near him caught the ad- 
miral in his arms. It was the first idea of Sir 
Horatio, and that of every other person, that he 
was shot through the head. On being carried in- 



LORD NELSON. ^9 

to the cock-pit, where several of his gallant crew 
were stretched with their shattered and mangled 
limbs, the surgeon with great anxiety immediate- 
ly came to the admiral. ** No,^^ replied the hero, 
" I will take my turn with my brave followers.'' 
The agony of the wound increasing, he became 
convinced that the idea he had long indulged of 
dying in battle was now about to be accomplish- 
ed. He immediately sent for his chaplain the 
Rev. Mr. Comyns, and begged of him to remem- 
ber him to Lady Nelson, and signed a commis- 
sion, appointing his friend, the brave Hardy, post- 
captain in the Vanguard. He felt so grateful to 
Captain Louis for having so nobly supported him 
in the commencement of the action, that about 
nine o'clo ck he directed his first lieutenant, Mr. 
Capel, to go on board the Minotaur in the jolly- 
boat, and desire that Captain LouisVould come 
to him, for he could not enjoy a moment's peace, 
till he had thanked him for his conduct : adding, 
*' this is the hundred and twenty-fourth time 1 
have been engaged, but I believe it is now nearly 
over with me/' Captain Louis immediatel}" has- 
tened on board the Vanguard, and the meeting 
which took place between the admiral and him, 
was affecting in the extreme. The latter hung 
over his bleeding friend in silent sorrow. '^ Fare- 
wel, dear Louis,'' said the magnanimous Nelson, 
" I shall never forget the obligation 1 am under 
M 2 -^ 



100 PROFESSIONAL LIFE Ol 

to you for your brave and generous conduct; 
and now, whatever may become of me, my mind 
is at peace/^ With the composure of the hero 
and the christian, he then resigned himself to 
death.' Providence, however, willed otherwise^ 
arid had determined to preserve him for farther 
triumphs. When the surgeon came to examine 
the wound, it evidently appeared that it was not 
mortal ; the joyful intelligence was quickly cir- 
culated throughout the ship, and filled every bo- 
som with new animation. 

About half past eight, the Aquilon and the 
Peuple Souverain were taken possession of by the 
English, and Captain Berry sent a lieutenant and 
a party of marines for the same purpose to the 
Spartiate, which had struck to the Vanguard. 
The officer returned by the boat the French cap- 
tain's sword, which Captain Berry immediately 
delivered to the admiral, who was then below in 
consequence of his wound. At this time the vic- 
tory appeared decisive in favour of the British 
arms, for though UHeureux and Tonnant were 
not taken possession of, they were considered aa 
completely subdued, which pleasing intelligence 
Captain Berry had likewise the satisfaction of 
communicating in person to the admiral. 

A few minutes after nine a fire was observed 
to have broken out in the cabin of UOrient; to 
that point Captain Hallowell ordered as many 



LORD KELSON. 101 

guns as could be spared from firing on the Frank- 
lin to be directed, and that Captain Allen of the 
marines should throw in the whole fire of his 
musketry on the enemy's quarter, while the Alex- 
ander on the other side was keeping up an inces- 
sant shower of shot to the same point. The con- 
flagration now began to rage with dreadful fury: 
still the French admiral sustained the honor of his 
flag with heroic firmness; but at length a period 
was put to his exertions by a cannon-ball, which 
cut him asunder. He had before received three 
desperate wounds, one on the head and two in 
his body, but could not be prevailed upon to quit 
his station on the arm-chest. His captain, Casa 
Bianca, fell by his side. Several of the officers 
and men, seeing the impracticability of extin- 
guishing the fire, which had now extended itself 
along the upper decks, and was flaming up the 
masts, jumped overboard ; some supporting them- 
selves on spars and pieces of wreck, others swim- 
ming with all their might to escape the dreaded 
catastrophe. Shot flying in all directions, dashed 
many of them to pieces ; others were picked up 
by the boats of the fleet, or dragged into the lower 
ports of the nearest ships. The British sailors, 

*' Daring beyond what fable sings of old, 
" Yet mild in conquest and humane as bold." 

stretched forth their hands to save a fallen enemy, 



10£ PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

though the battle, at that moment, raged with un- 
eontrolled fury. The Swiftsure, anchored withm 
half pistol shot of the larboard bow of L'Orient, 
3aved the lives of the commissary, first lieutenant, 
and ten men, drawn out of the water through the 
lower deck ports during the hottest part of the 
action. The situation of the Alexander and 
Swiftsure became perilous in the extreme. The 
expected explosion of such a ship as L'Orient 
was to be dreaded as involving all around in cer- 
tain destruction. Captain Hallo well, however, 
determined not to move from his devoted station, 
though repeatedly urged to do so. He perceived 
the advantage he possessed in being to windward 
of the burning ship. Captain Ball was not so for- 
tunate ; twice he had the mortification to per- 
ceive that the fire of the enemy had communi- 
cated to the Alexander. He was, therefore, 
under the necessity of changing his birth and 
moving to a greater distance. 

The admiral was informed, by Captain Berry, 
of the situation of the enemy. Forgetting his 
own sufferings, he hastened on deck; the first 
consideration that struck his feeling mind, v/as, 
concern for the danger of such a number of lives. 
To save as many of them as possible, he ordered 
Captain Berry to make every exertion in his 
power. A boat, the only one that could swim, 
was dispatched from the Vanguard; the other 



LORD NELSON. 103 

ships immediately followed the example, ^aiid 
above seventy drowning wretches were preserved 
by those so lately employed in their destruction, 

^' Reckless of peril, through the fiery wave 

*' See ! British mercy steers each prostrate foe to save !" 

The van of the English fleet having, for the 
present, finished their part in the glorious con- 
test, now enjoyed a sublime view of the two lines 
illumined by the fire of the ill-fated foe ; the co- 
lors of the contending vessels being plainly dis- 
tinguished. The moon, which had by this time 
risen, opposing her cold light to the warm glow 
of the fire beneath, added to the grandeur and 
solemnity of the picture. The flames had now 
made such progress that an explosion was in- 
stantly expected, yet the enemy, on the lower 
deck, either insensible of the danger that threat- 
ened them, or impelled by the last paroxysms of 
despair and vengeance, continued to fire. 

At thirty-seven minutes past nine, the fatal 
explosion happened ^. The fire communicated 

* The destruction of L'Orient is thus described by Mr. 
Sotheby, in his animated Poem on the achievements of this 
tremendous night : 

Aloft, mid either navy rais'd 

Tower*d a vast wreck, that far o'er ocean blaz'd. 
Like Etna, pouring from the sea-girt height 
A fiery torrent through the stjria 
3 



1D4 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

to the magazine, and UOrient blew up with a. 
crashing sound that deafened all around hen 
The tremulous motion, felt to the very bottom 
of each ship, was hke that of an earthquake. An 
awful pause and deathlike silence of about three 
minutes ensued, before the fragments, driven to a 
vast height into the air, could descend ; and 
then the greatest apprehension was formed, from 
the volumes of burning matter which threatened 
to fall on the decks and rigging of the surround- 
ing ships. Fortunately, however, no material da- 
mage occurred. A port-fire fell into the main- 
royal of the Alexander, and she was once more 
in danger of sharing the fate of the enemy ; but 
by the exertions of Captain Ball, the flames were 

There frenzy's shrilling outcry smote the ear ; 
And visions flash'd that struck the brave with fear. 
Through the torn decks, rent sides, and shiver'd sails. 
As rush'd th' expanding flame before the gales. 
Pale sw^arms were seen, who dash'd in wild dismay 
Thro' bursting fires that clos'd around their way : 
Some on the masts and blazing cordage hung. 
Or headlong plung'd the crowded waves among; 
And on the pile of dying and of dead 
Gash'd with wide wounds, th' unyielding chieftain bled^ 
Now seen, and now no more ! — Mid globes of fire 
That burst around and blaz'd above the pyre. 
Death wav'd his torch and fir'd th' imprisoned blast. 
High in mid air the shiver'd fabric cast. 
And rode upon the storm and shouted as it past. 



I 



LORD NELSON. 105 

soon extinguished. Two large pieces of the 
wreck likewise dropped into the main and fore- 
tops of the Swiftsure, from which the men had 
been fortunately withdrawn. 

An awful silence now reigned for several mi- 
nutes, as if the contending squadrons, struck with 
horror at the dreadful event, which in an instant 
had hurled so many brave men into the air, had 
forgotten their hostile rage, in pity to the suf- 
ferers. But short was the pause of death : ven- 
geance soon roused the drooping spirits of the 
enemy. The Franklin, which now bore the 
French commander's flag, opened her fire with 
redoubled fury on the Defence and Swiftsure, 
and made the signal for renewed hostilities. Tlie 
Swiftsure, being disengaged from her late formi- 
dable adversary, had leisure to direct her whok 
fire into the quarter of the foe that had thus pre- 
sumed to break the solemn silence ; and in a very 
short time, by the well-directed and steady fire 
of these two ships, and the Leander on her bows, 
the Franyin was compelled to call for quarter, 
and struck to a superior force. 

The Alexander, the Majestic, and occasionally 
the Swiftsure, were now the only British ships 
engaged ; but the commander of the latter, find- 
ing that he could not direct his guns clear of the 
Alexander, which had dropped between him and 
the Tonnant, and fearful lest he should fire into 
N 



106 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

a friend, desisted, althdugli he was severely an- 
noyed by the shot of the Tonnant, which was fal- 
ling thick about him. Most of the EngUsh ships 
were so cut up m their masts and rigging, that 
they were unable to set any sail or to move from 
their stations. The firing ceased entirely about 
three in the morning of the 2d of August} biit 
at four, just as the day began to dawn, the Alex- 
ander and Majestic recommenced the action with 
the Tonnant, Guillaume ^fl^^^©^M^§§3^p^M 
Timoleon. The Heureux arid Mefdure "had fal- 
len out of the line, and anchored a considerable 
distance to leeward. ^^ t^^j:^"! Ma a^. ^jnamb yi^ 
Captain Miller, perMv%| theH^i&e^^ €dMe^y 
bore down to assist his friends, and began a furi- 
ous cannonade on the enemy. The Theseus had 
as yet fortunately received but little damage in 
her masts and rigging, and that little had been 
repaired by the active exertions of her comman- 
der, as soon as the first part of the action in the 
van had terminated in favor of the British ami5. 
L'Artemise frigate, stationed on the left of the 
centre of the French line, fired a broadside at 
the Theseus, and then struck her colors. Cap- 
tain Miller dispatched an oflficer to take posses- 
sion of her, but when the boat had arrived with- 
in a short distance, she burst into a flame arid 
blew up. This unofficer-like and treacherous 
conduct will 'Me6t Eternal disgrace on the dams 



LORD NELSON. 107 

of Estandlet, who commanded her. After hav- 
ing surrendered his ship by striking her ensign 
and pendant, conscious that he was then se- 
cure from immediate danger, he set fire to her, 
and with most of his crew, escaped to the shore. 

At six o'clock the Leander having as yet re- 
ceived but little damage, was ordered by signal 
from the admiral to assist the ships engaged, 
which she accordingly obeyed. At this time the 
action between the three British ships Alexander, 
Majestic, and Theseus, and the Guillaume Tell, 
Genereux, Tonnant, and Timoleon had become 
very distant, as the latter continued imperceptibly 
to drop to leeward, and the Theseus was obliged 
to veer on two cables to keep within reach of 
them. 

At eight A. M. the Goliath bore down and an- 
chored near the Theseus, the French ships having 
brought to again. The fire of the British was 
now chiefly turned against the Heureux and Mer- 
cure which were soon obliged to surrender. The 
Timoleon was ashore, and the Tonnant was ren- 
dered a complete wreck. Under these circum- 
stances Rear-Admiral Villeneuve, in the Guil- 
laume Tell, of 80 guns, perceiving that few, if 
any, of our ships were in a condition to make sail, 
resolved to lose no time in escaping from the in- 
evitable fate that would otherwise have awaited 
kirn. About eleven o'clock he cut his cable and 
N 2 



108 PROFES'SIONAL LIFE OF 

got under weigh, and his example was followed 
by the Genereax, with the two frigates, La Jus- 
tice and La Diane. 

Perceiving their intention, the British admiral 
by signal ordered tire Zealous to intercept them. 
Unfortunately none of the windward ships wa« in 
a condition to second this attempt to stop the fu- 
gitives. Captain Hood did all that could be done : 
as they passed by him, he received and returned 
the fire of each in succession. The damage he 
sustained prevented him from tacking, and the 
admiral, with his usual judgment, gave the signal 
of recal. ^ :>r!Ocnq sdj to vrn:- 

The whole day of the 2d was epfiployed^y the 
British admiral, his officers and men, in securing 
the ships that had struck, and in repairing the 
damages their own had sustained. Though this 
was fully sufficient to occupy their attention, yet 
the mind of that great and good man was too 
deeply impressed with the most pious gratitude 
to the Supreme Being, for the success which had 
crowned his endeavours in the cause of his coun- 
try, to delay returning his public acknowledg- 
ments for the divine favor. On the morning of 
the 2d, he therefore issued the following memo- 
randum to the different captains of his squadron. 



LORD NELSON. 109 

** Vanguard, off (he Mouth of the NilCf 
2d Day of August, 1798. 

^* Almighty God having blessed his Majesty's arms 
with victory, the admiral intends returning public thanks- 
giving for the same at two o^clock this day, and he recom- 
mends every ship doing the same as soon as convenient.*' 
"To tlie respective Captains of the Squadron. 

Accordingly at two o'clock public service was 
performed on the quarter-deck of the Vanguard, 
by the Rev. Mr. Comyn, the other ships following 
the example of the admiral, though perhaps not 
all at the same time. This solemn act of grati- 
tude to heaven seemed to make a deep impression 
on many of the prisoners, and some of them even 
remarked, " that it was no wonder the English 
ofiicers could maintain such discipline and order, 
when it was possible to impress the minds of their 
men with such sentiments, after a victory so great, 
and at a moment of such seeming confusion.*' 

The same day the following memorandum, ex- 
pressive of the admiral's sentiments of the noble 
exertions of the different officers and men of his 
squadron, was sent round to all the ships: 

*' Vanguard, off the Mouth of flie Nile* 
J ^III rn; ■ 2d Dny of Aug. 1798. 

-"^«E udmiral most heartily congratulates the captains, 
officers, seamen, and marines of the squadron he has the 
Jionor to command, on the event of the late action ; and he 
desires they will accept his most sincere and cordial thanks 
for their very gallant behaviour in this glorious battle. It 
must strike forcibly every British seaman, how superior 



110 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

their conduct is, when in discipline and good order, to the 
riotous behaviour of lawless Frenchmen; 

" The squadron may be assured the admiral will not fail, 
with his dispatches, to represent their truly meritorious 
conduct in the strongest terms to the commander in chief." 

*' To the Captains of the Ships of the Squadron." 

On the 2d the Arabs and Mamelukes, who had 
lined the shores of the bay, beheld with trans- 
port that victory had declared itself in favor of 
the English. Their exultation was almost equal 
to that of the conquerors, and for the three fol- 
lowing nights the whole coast and country, as far 
as the eye could reach, were illuminated in cele- 
bration of the victory. 

It was not till the morning that the Culloden 
could be got off from her disagreeable situation, 
and it was found that she had suffered consider- 
able damage in her bottom; the rudder was 
beaten off, and the crew could scarcely keep her 
afloat with all pumps going. The resources of 
Captain Troubridge's mind were admirably ex- 
erted on this trying occasion : — in four days he 
had a new rudder made on his own deck, which 
was immediately shipped, and the Culloden, 
though still very leaky, was, however, in a state 
fit for actual service* 

In the morning of the 3d of August, there re* 
mained in the bay only the Timoleon and Ton- 
nant of the French line that were not taken or 

2 



LOUD NELSON. Ill 

destroyed. As these vessels were both dismasted, 
and consequently could not escape, they were 
naturally the last of which the conquerors thought 
of taking possession. The former being aground 
near the coast, the captain, with his crew, es- 
caped in their boats after setting her on fire, and 
in a short time she blew up. A flag of truce had 
been sent to the Tonnant, but she refused to sub- 
mit; on the Theseus going down to her, followed 
by the Swiftsure, she struck without farther re- 
sistance. Her cable had been cut, and she had 
drifted on shore, but, by the activity of Captain 
Miller, she was soon got off again, and secured 
in the British line. This completed the conquest 
of the French fleet in the bay of Aboukir, and 
the British flag rode triumphant on the Egyptian 
seas. 

The admiral, knowing that the wounded of his 
own ships had been taken care of, with his usual 
humanity made those of the enemy one of the 
first objects of his attention. He established a 
truce with the commandant of Aboukir, and 
through him intimated to the governor of Alex- 
andria, that it was his intention to allow all the 
wounded Frenchmen to be taken ashore, and 
attended by their own surgeons. This proposal 
was readily acceded to, and was carried into ef- 
fect on the following day. 

On the 5th of August, Captain Berry, of the 



112 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Vanguard, sailed in the Leander with the admi- 
ral's dispatches to the commander in chief, off 
Cadiz, A few days afterwards, he likewise sent 
away the Hon. Capt. Capel, of the Mutine sloop, 
with orders to land at Naples, and thence to pro- 
ceed to England. That officer was charged with 
a copy of the above-mentioned dispatches, and 
likewise a letter to the secretary of the admiralty 
to the following effect : — 

« Vanguard, Mouth of the Nile. 
Aug. 7, 1798. 
" SIR, 

" Herewith I have the honor to transmit to you a copy 
of my letter to the Earl of St. Vincent, together with a line 
of battle of the English and French squadrons, also a list 
of the killed and wounded. I have the pleasure to inform 
you, that eight of our ships have already top-gallant-yards 
across, and are ready lor any service ; the others, with the 
prizes, will soon be ready for sea. In an event of this im- 
portance, I have thought it right to send Captain Capel 
with a copy of my letter to the commander in chief over 
land, which I hope their lordships will approve ; and beg 
leave to refer them to Captain Capel, who is a most excel- 
lent officer, and fully able to give every information ; and 
I beg leave to recommend him to their lordships' notice. 
'^ I have the honor to be, &c. 

« HORATIO NELSON, 
" F. S. The island I have takeu possession of, and 
brought off the two thirteen-iuch mortars, all the brass guns, 
and destroyed the iron ones. 
** Evan Nepean, Esq." 

The letter to Lord St, Vincent was as follows : 



\^ 



LORD NELSON. US 

" Vanguard, off ihe Mouth of the Nile, 
August 3, 1798. 

** MY LORD, 

" Almighty God has blessed his Majesty's arms in the 
late battle, with a great victory over the fleet of the enemy, 
whom 1 attacked at sun-set on the 1st of August, off the 
ruouth of the Nile. The enemy were moored in a strong 
line of battle for defending the entrance of the bay (of 
Shoals), flanked by numerous gun-boats, four frigates, and 
a battery of guns and mortars on an island in their van ; but 
nothing could withstand the squadron your lordship did me 
the honor to place under my command. Their high state 
of discipline is well known to you, and with the judgment 
of the captains, together with their valor, and that of the 
oflicers and men of every descri^Dtion, it was absolutely 
irresistible. 

" Could any thing from my pen add to the characters of 
the captains, I would write it with pleasure, but that is 
impossible. 

' I hdve to regret the loss of Captain Weslcott, of the 
Majestic, who was killed early in the action ; but the ship 
uas continued to be fought so well by her first lieutenant, 
Mr. Cuthbert, that I have given him an order to command 
her till your lordship's pleasure is known. 

*' The ships of the enemy, all but their two rear-ships, 
are nearly dismasted ; and those two, with two frigates, I 
am sorry to say, made their escape ; nor was it, I assure 
you, in my power to prevent them. Captain Plood most 
handsomely endeavoured to do it, but I had no ship in a 
condition to support the Zealous, and I was obliged to call 
her in. 

'* The support and assistance I have received from Cap- 
tain Berry cannot be sufficiently expressed. I was wounded 
in ihe head, and obliged to be carried off the deck, but the 
service sustained no loss by that event. Captain Berry 
o 



Plan of the Battle of Aboiikir. 




EXPLANATION. 



• A A. Tlie French ships drawn up i 
use angle, and moored on spring cables. 



F. The Leander, whicli broke the enemy's 
ine, and dropped anclioi between the head 



CC. Two fort 
structed our van. 



and an island that ob- 



■D. The French frigates La Diane 
Justice, L'Artemise, La Serieuse ; the' 
former of whicJi escaped, the tliird was bu 
and the Jast dismasted and sunk. 

E. The English ship Culloden, which 
on shore in leading the van division of 
fleet between the enemy and their batteries 



Le GuiUaui 
H. The' 



y .igypt toward Bosetta. 

Egypt towards Alexandria, 
jf Aljoukir, or Bequieves. 



114 



PROFESSIOMAL LIFE OF 



was fully equal to the important service then going on, 
and to him 1 must beg leave to refer yow for every informa- 
tion relative to this victory. He will present you with the 
flag of the second in command, that of the commander in 
chief being burned in L'Orient. 

" Herewith I transmit you lists of the killed and wounded, 
and the lines of battle, of ourselves and the French. 
'* I have the honor to be, &c. 

" HORATIO NELSON." 
*'To Admiral the Earl of St. Vincent, Commander 
in Chief, &c. &c. &c. off Cadiz." 



Ship's names. 
Culloden 
Theseus 
Alexander 

Vanguard 

Minotaur 

Leander 

Swiftsure 

Audacious 

Defence 

Zealous 

Orion 

Goliath 

Majestic 

Bellerophon 

LaMutinebrig 



LINE OF BATTLE. 

Captains. 
r. Troubridge - - , 
R.W.Miller* - 
Alexander J. Ball 
^ RearAd. Sir H. Nelson, K.B. 
I Edward Berry 
Thomas Louis - - . 
T. B. Thompson - - > 
B. Hallowell 

Davidi^e Gould - - _ 
,lolm Peyton - _ - 

Samuel Hood - _ . 

Sir James Saumarez 
Thomas Foley _ - _ 
George B. Westcott 
Henry D. E. Darby 



Guns. 


Men 


74 


590 


74 


590 


74 


590 


74 


595 


74 


640 


50 


343 


74 


590 


74 


590 


74 


590 


74 


590 


74 


590 


74 


590 


74 


590 


74 


590 



HORATIO NELSON. 



Vanguard, off the Mouth of the NiUj 
Aug. 3, 1798. 



^ This distinguished officer did not long survive the 
glory he acquired on this occasion. He was born at New 



LORD NELSON. 



115 



PRENCH LINE OF BATTLE. 



Ships names. 


Commanders, 


Guns. 


Men. 


Le Guerrier - - 


_ 


74 


600 taken 


Le Conquerant 


_ 


74 


700 taken 


Le Spartiate - - 




74 


700 taken 


Le Souverain Peuple 


1 Blanquet, 1st C 


74 


700 taken 


Le Franklin - - 


> centre ad- < 
\ miral f 
1 Brueys, adm. C 


80 


800 taken 


L'Orient - - - 


>& command- < 
3 er in chief ( 


no 


10 10 burnt 


Le Tonnant - - 


- _ - 


80 


800 taken 


L'Heureux - - 


_ 


74 


700 taken 


Le Timoleon - - 


- - _ 


74 


700 burnt 


Le Mercure - - 


Villeneuve'2d 


74 


700 taken 


Le Guillaume Tell 


centre ad- 
miral 


80 


800 escaped 


Le Genereux - - 


- 


74 


700 escaped 




HORA 


no NELSON. 


Vanguard, off the Mo 


ith of the Nile, 




Aug. 3, 17 


98. 


FRIGATES. 



York, in America, in 1762, and was educated at the Royal 
Academy at Portsmouth, by his grandfather, Mr. George 
Witchell. In 1778 he entered into the navy, was in all 
the actions fought under the command of Admirals Barring- 
ton, Rodney, Hood, and Graves, and assisted in the taking 
of several of the West India Islands. In 1793 he was 
employed as a lieutenant in the batteries at Toulon, and 
at the destruction of the French ships in the harbour; 
and assisted at the reduction of St. Fiorenzo, Bastia and 
Calvi. He was soon afterwards promoted to the command 
of the Poulette, one of the French frigates brought from 
Toulon, fitted as a fire-ship, for the purpose of burning 
o 2 



116 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 





FRTGATES. 


Ship?. 


Guns. 


Men. 


La Diane - - - 


48 


SOO escaped 


La Justice - - - 


44 


300 escaped 


L'Artemise - - 


S6 


250 burnt 


Le Serieux - - - 


se> 


'^50 dismasted and sunk. 



HORATIO NELSON, 

Vanguard off the Mouth of the Nile, 
Au^. 3, 1798. 



llieir fleet in Gourjean Bay. After the failure of that en- 
terprize, he was present in the general actions under the 
command of Lord Hotham, and was appointed successively 
to the JMignonne and the Unite. In the memorable actioa 
of the lith February, 1797, he had a very distinguished 
situation, being, as we have already seen, commander of 
the Captain, under Commodore Nelson. He was soon af- 
terwards removed to the Theseus. In the blockade of 
Cadiz, Captain Miller was always employed in the boats, 
and at Teneriife he was the first man that entered the ene- 
my's works at the Mole. His share in the glorious engage- 
ment of the 1st of August has already been fully described. 
Sir Sydney Smith, when he sailed up the Mediterranean, 
particularly requested the assistance of Captain Miller, who 
was accordingly ordered by Earl St. Vincent to follow that 
officer. During the siege of Acre, Captain Miller com- 
manded the naval force, and likewise occasionally landed 
to act in concert with Sir Sydney, who, on receiving intel- 
ligence that a squadron of French frigates had left Alex- 
andria, for the purpose of landing ammunition and stores 
at Jaiia, for Bonaparte, dispatched him to intercept them. 
In this service he was unfortunately killed, by the burst- 
in^ of some shells on board the Theseus, on the Hth, 



LORD NELSON. 



117 



A RETURN OF THE KILLED AND WOUNDED 

On Board of his Majesty's Ships under the Command of 

Sir Horatio Neho?i, K. B, 

In an Action with the French, at Anchor, on the 1st of August, 1798, 
off the Mouth of the Nile. 



KILLED. 



WOUNDED 



Ships names. 


O 


c 

e 
1 




f2 
O 


c 

I 
1 


00 

flj 

.5 


Total. 


Theseus 





5 





1 


24 


5 


35 


Alexander 


1 


13 





.5 


48 


5 


72 


Vanguard 


3 


20 


7 


7 


60 


8 


105 


Minotaur 


2 


18 


3 


4 


54 


6 


87 


Swiftsure 





7 





1 


19 


2 


29 


Audacious 





1 





2 


31 


2 


36 


Defence 





3 


1 





9 


2 


15 


Zealous 





1 








7 





8 


Orion 


1 


11 


1 


5 


18 


6 


42 


Goliath 


2 


1'2 


7 


4 


28 


9 


62 


Majestic 


3 


33 


14 


3 


124 


16 


193 


Bellerophon 


4 


32 


13 


3 


126 


17 


197 


Leander 














14 





14 


Total 

• 


16 


156 


46 


37 


562 


78 


895 



May, 1799. In consideration of his services, government 
granted his widow a pension of 1001. per annum, and to 
her two daughters, the one eight and the other seven years 
old at his death, 251. per annum each, till they marry. 



118 



PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 



The Names of the OiBcers killed and wounded on this glo- 
rious occasion, were as follow : 





KILLED. 




Ships. 


Officers names- 


Rank. 


Vanguard 




Captain of Marines 




- 


Thomas Seymour 


Midshipman 


- 


John G. Taylor - - 


Ditto 


Alexander 


John Collins 


Lieutenant 


Orion 


. T^nirrl 


Captain's Clerk 


— jDdiru - " 


Goliath - 


William Davies - - 


Master's Mate 


- - 


Andrew Brown - - 


Midshipman 


Majestic - 


George B. Westcott - 


Captain 


- . 


Zebedee Ford - - 


Midshipman i 


- 


Andrew Gil more - - 


Boatswain ' 


Bellerophon 


Robert Savage Daniel 


Lieutenant 


- 


W. Launder - - - 


Ditto 


- - _ 


George Jolliffe - - 


Ditto 


- 


Thomas Ellison - - 


Master's Mate 


Minotaur 


J. S. Kirchner - - 


Master 


- _ - 


Peter Walters - - 
WOUNDED. 


Master's Mate 


Ships. 


Officers names. 


Rank. 


Vanguard 


N. Vassal - - - . 


Lieutenant 


- 


J. Adye - - - - 


Ditto 


- - _ 


J. Campbell* - - - 


Admiral's Secretary 


- 


M. Austin - - - - 


Boatswain 


- - - 


J. Weatherston - - 


Midshipman 


- 


George Antrim - 


Ditto 


Theseus - 
Alexander 


XJ„ „,],;„„ 


Lieutenant 
Captain 


Alexander J. Ball, Esq. 


- 


J. Cresswell - - - 


Captain of Marines 


- 


W. Lawson - - - 


Master 


- 


G. Buliey - - - - 


Midshipman 


- - - 


Luke Anderson - - 


Ditto 


Audacious 


John James - - _ 


Lieutenant. * 


- 


Christopher Font 


Gunner 


Orion - - 


Sir James Saumurez - 


Captain 


- . _ 


Peter Sadler - - - 


Boatswain 


- - - 


Philip Richardson 


Midshipman 


- - - 


Ch. Miell - - - - 


Ditto 




»_____ Fun ff^ <ii'\T • — 


Ditto 




——~———- I taliiCovy • 



* Mr. Campbell was afterwards appointed purser of the 
Canopus, and died at Plymouth-Dock, Sept. 2, 179. 



LORD NELSON. 



119 



Ships. 
Goliath 



Majestic - 
Bellerophon 

Minotaur 
Swiftsure - 



WOUNDED. 

Officers names. 

William Wilkinson - 

Law. Graves - - - 

P. Strachan - - - 

James Payne - - - 

Charles Seward - - 

Charles Ro^^le - - 

Robert Overton - - 

PI. D. Darby, Esq. - 

Edward Kirby - - 

John Hopkins - - 

Chapman 

Nicholas JBetson - - 

Thomas Irwin * - - 

John Jewell - - - 

Thomas Foxton - - 

Martin Wills - - - 

William Smith - - 



Rank. 
Lieutenant 
Midshipman 
Schoolmaster 
Midshipman 
Ditto 
Ditto 

Captain's Clerk 
Captain 
Master 

Captam of Marines 
Boatswain 
Midshipman 
Lieutenant 
Lieut, of Marines. 
Second Master 
Midshipman 
Ditto. 



The next care of the admiral was to dispatch 
Lieutenant Duval of the Zealous, overland, with 
the following letter to the governor of Bombay : 

" Vanguard, Mouth of the Nile, 
9th of August, 1798. 

" SIP, 

'' ALTHoroH I hope that the consuls who are, or ought 
to be, resident in Egypt, have sent you an express of the 
situation of affairs here, yet as I know that Mr Baldwin 
has some months left Alexandria, it is possible you may not 



* This officer was a Lieutenant in the Victory with the 
Earl of St. Vincent, on the 14th February, 1797, and com- 
manded on the forecastle. He was lost in 1801^ in the ten- 
der of the Minotaur, supposed to have foundered with all 
the crew, when on a cruize in the Mediterranean. Lieute- 
nant Irwin was 34 years of age, a good seaman, an excellent 
officer, and an upright man. 



120 PROFESSIONAL LIPE OF 

be regularly informed : I shall therefore relate to you 
briefly, that a French army of 40,000 men, in 300 trans- 
ports, with 13 sail of the line, 11 frigates, bomb-vessels, 
gun-boats, &c. &c. arrived at Alexandria on the 1st of 
July ; on the 7th they left it for Cairo, v^^here they arrived on 
the '22d. During their march they had some actions with 
the Mamelukes, which the French call victories. As I have 
Buonaparte's dispatches now before me, which I took yes- 
terday, T speak positively ; he saj^s, " I am now going to 
send off to take Suez and Damietta ;" he does not speak 
favorably of either country or people ; but there is such 
bombast in his letters, that it is difficult to get at the truth; 
but you may be sure he is only master of what his army 
covers. From all the enquiries which I have been able to 
make, 1 cannot learn that any French vessels are at Suez, 
to carry any part of his army to India. ^Bombay (if they 
can get there) I know is the first object; but I trust the 
Almighty God in Egypt will overthrow these pests of the 
human race. It has been in my power to prevent 1'2,000 
men from leaving Genoa ; and also to take eleven sail of 
the line, and two frigates ; two sail of the line, and two 
frigates, have escaped me. This glorious battle was fought 
at the Mouth of the Nile, at anchor; it began at sun-set, 
^nd was not finished at three the next morning; it has 
been severe, but God favored our endeavours with a great 
victory. 1 am now at anchor between Alexandria and 
Rosetta, to prevent their communication by water, and 
nothing under a regiment can pass by land. But I should 
have informed you that the French have 4000 men posted 
at Rosetta, to keep open the mouth of the Nile. Alexan- 
dria, both town and shipping, are so distressed for provi- 
sions, that they can only get them from the Nile by water ; 
therefore 1 cannot guess the good which may attend our 
holdhig our present position ; for Buonaparte writes his dis- 



I 



XOKD NELSON. 121 

tress for stores, artillery, and things for their hospital, &c. 
All useful communication is at an end between Alexandria 
and Cairo; you may be sure I shall remain here as long 
as possible. Bonaparte had never yet to contend with an 
English ofncer; and I shall endeavonr to make him respect 
us. 

'' This is all I have to communic vte ; I am confident 
every precaution will be taken to prevent, in future, any 
vessels going to Suez, which may be able to carry troops to 
India. If my letter is not so correct as might be expected, 
I trust your excuse, when I tell you my brain is so shaken 
>vith the wound in my head, that I am sensible I am not 
so clear as I could wish ; but whilst a ray of reason remains, 
my heart and hand shall ever be exerted for ihe benefit of 
our king and country. 

" I have the honor to be, &c. 

« HORATIO NELSON."" 

A victory more complete and more important 
in its consequences, had never graced the annals 
even of the British navy. Oat of a fleet of se- 
venteen sail, four only escaped captivity or de- 
struction. The daring enterprize of the attack 
could only be rivalled by the persevering courage 
with which it was supported, and the unparalleled 
success with which it was crowned.* 



* Soon after the victory the following letter w^as written 
by the venerable father of the admiral to the Rev. B. Allot, 
in answer to his congratulations on the occasion : 

'^ My great and good son went into the world without 
fortune, but with a heart replete with every moral and re- 
V 



1'2£ PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

For a week after the battle, the bay of Abou- 
kir was covered with the floating bodies of the 
slain. These exhibited a most painful and hor- 
rid spectacle, and though men were continually 
employed in sinking the bodies with shot, yet 
many of them slipped off, and appeared again 
upon the surface. Considering the heat of the 
weather, it is almost a wonder that no pestilen- 
tial disorder broke out, in consequence, among 
our gallant countrymen. 

The captains of the British squadron eagerly 
vied with each other in sending various presents 
made from the wreck of UOrient, to the hero 
under whose auspices this signal victory had been 



ligious virtue. These have been his compass to steer by; 
and it has pleased God to be his shield in the day of battle, 
and to give success to his ^vishes to be of service to his 
country. His country seems sensible of his services; but 
should he ever meet with ingratitude his scars will cry out, 
and plead his cause ; for at the siege of Bastia he lost an 
e^^e ; at TeneriiFe an arm ; on the memorable 14th of Fe- 
bruary he received a severe blow on his body, which he 
still feels ; and now a wound on the head. After all this, 
you will believe his bloom of countenance must be faded . 
but the spirit beareth up yet as vigorous as ever. On the 
29th of September he completed his 40th year ; cheerful, 
generous, and good ; fearing no evil because he has done 
none ; an honor to my grey hairs^ which, with every mark 
of old age, creep fast upon me.'* 



lORD NELSON. VIS 

achieved. Among the rest Captain Hallowell, 
of the Swiftsure, ordered his carpenter to make 
a coffin solely from the wreck, both as to wood 
and iron. The carpenter, accordingly, finished 
one with considerable elegance, from the main- 
mast of the ill-fated ship, and it was presented to 
the admiral with the following note : — 

" Swifcsure, August, 1798. 
" SIR, 
" I HAVE taken the liberty of presenting you a coffiti 
made from the main-mast of L'Orient, that when you have 
finished your military career in this world, you may be 
buried in one of your trophies ; but that that period may- 
be far distant is the earnest wish of your sincere friend, 

" B. HALLOWELL. 

*< sir Horatio Nelson, 
'* Rear-Admiral of the Blue, &c.'> 

This present of his brave officer, Sir Horatio 
prized so highly, that for some months he had it 
placed upright in his cabin, till, at length, the en- 
treaties of an old servant, prevailed on him to 
allow it to be carried below. 

On the 18th of August, having lefitted the 
ships of his fleet and prizes, in the best manner 
the stores which he had would permit, the admi- 
ral sailed from the bay of Aboukir, leaving Ca|^- 
tain Samuel Hood* with four sail of the line and 

* This active officer was commander ofthe Juno friaate 
at the period ofthe evacuation of Toulon, previous to which 
p2 



124 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

two frigates to block up thv2 port of Alexandria, 
and to intercept any supplies which might be sent 
to the French army. 

event he had sailed on a cruize. On his return, ignorant 
of what had happened in his absence, he sailed into the 
harbor, and carae to an anchor. The evening was hazy, 
with heavy rain ; no colors were displayed on the batteries, 
or if there were, they were either not visible, or English. 
A boat came alongside tlie Juno, and several Frenchmen of 
the new municipality went on board. They were asked for 
news, and perceiving the mistake that still reigned, they 
conversed with Captain Hood as if they were under the 
British government. Fortunately the tri-colored cockade 
in one of their hats caught his eye, and he perceived the 
treacherous tendency of their visit. With great presence of 
mind he ordered some refreshments to be set before -them, 
•went on deck, and communicated to the officers and crew 
the situation of the ship, directing them to slip the cable, 
and make every possible exertion to sail out of the harbor. 
This he effected, in defiance of a heavy cannonade from 
the fort and batteries, as he passed, and soon after joined 
the fleet under the -command of Lord Hood. — The gallant 
exertions of Captahi Hood, under the command of the hero 
of the Nile, are noticed above, but one circumstance it may 
not be improper to add. Previous to the attack on the 
French line in the bay of Aboukir, the admiral hailed Cap- 
tain Hood to enquire, if he thought there was sufficient 
depth of water for our ships between the enemy and the 
shore? Captain Hood said he did not know, but with the 
Admiral's permission he would lead m, and try. The Go- 
liath, however, being the fastest sailer, and having the start, 
first gained the post of honor, — Captain Hood was next en* 



LOUD NELSON. 125^ 

Sir James Saumarez"^ received directions to 
proceed with the trophies of the victory, and 

gaged in co-operating in the expulsion of the French from 
the Roman territory ; and in 1801 commanded the Vene- 
rable, one of the ships of the squadron under Sir James 
Saumarez. In the engagement off Algesiras he particularly 
distinguished himself, by pursuing and bringing to action 
the Formidable, a French ship of 84 guns, which he had 
nearly silenced, when his main-mast was shot away. This 
accident enabled his antagonist to escape. " The highest 
praise," says Sir James Saumarez, in his letter to the Admi- 
ralty on this occasion, " is due to Captain Hood, the officers, 
and men of the Venerable, for their spirit and gallantry in 
the action, which entitled them to better success." — On the 
renewal of hostilities in 1803, Captain Hood was appointed 
commanderju Chief on the Leeward Island station, with 
the rank of commodore. 

* The British navy cannot boast a more distinguished 
officer than Sir James Saumarez. He was born in Guernsey 
in the year 1757, and entered into the service in 1770. He 
commenced his career of honor in the Montreal, and re- 
mained on the Mediterranean station till the year 177.5, 
when he was appointed lieutenant of the Bristol, bearing 
the broad pendant of Sir Peter Parker, with whom he pro- 
ceeded to Charlestown, in South Carolina, in the attack of 
which he greatly distinguished himself. In the action with 
the Dutch fleet off the Dogger Bank, Mr. S. was a lieu- 
tenant of Sir Hyde Parker's flag-ship the Fortitude, and for 
his gallantry on that occasion was appointed to the com- 
mand of the Preston, and promoted to the rank of master 
and commander. After serving for some time in the chan- 
ael fleet under Admiral Keropenfelt, he was detached tp 



126 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

ships of the squadron which were in the most 
crippled state, to Gibraltar. 

the West Indies, where he was soon afterwards appointed 
hy Sir Samuel (now Lord) Hood, to the Russel of 74 guns, 
when he was only twenty-four years of age. In that ship 
Captain Saumarez contributed not a little to the success of 
the glorious iSth of April, 1782. At the commencement 
of the late war, he hoisted his pendant on board the Cres- 
cent frigate of 36 guns, and being on a cruise off Cherbourg, 
fell in with the R-e-union, a French frigate of the same 
force, which he took after a close action of two hours, 
without the loss of a single man in his own ship, though the 
enemy had 1?0 killed and wounded. For his gallantry in 
this affair, he received the honor of knighthood. Being re- 
moved to the Orion, of 74 guns, he came in for a share of 
the honor of Lord Brid port's action off Port L'Orient, on the 
3d of June, 1795. In Lord St. Vincent's victory, Sir James 
displayed his accustomed gallantry, and closing with the 
Salvador del Mundo, of 11^;^ guns, he engaged her singly 
within pistol-shot for upwards of an hour, till he compelled 
her to strike. His exertions in the glorious battle of the 
Nile have been amply detailed. After that victory he con- 
veyed the prizes to Gibraltar, and towards the conclusion 
of 1793, arrived in England, where the Orion, being found 
to want considerable repairs, was paid off. Sir James was 
then appointed to the Caesar, of 84 guns, and in this ship he 
performed the perilous service of commanding the advanced 
squadron stationed off the Black Rocks at the entrance of 
Brest harbor. On the 1st of January, 1801, Sir James was 
promoted to be a flag-officer; soon after which he was 
created a baronet^ and received the order of the Bath. In 
June, the same year, he took the command of a squadron 



LORD NELSON. 127 

On the 22 d of September, Sir Horatio arrived 
at Naples, in the Vanguard. He there found 
the Culloden and Alexander, which had arrived 
four days before him. The King of Naples in- 
stantly went off in his barge, and honored the 
admiral with a visit on board the Vanguard, 
where he remained until she ai^chored. On his 
landing, the hero of the Nile was received amidst 
the shouts of a rejoicing people who hailed him 
as their deliverer. 



destined to blockade Cadiz. During his co.nmand on this 
station he placed his name in the very highest rank of Bri- 
tish naval heroes bj the engagement off Algeziras, in which, 
•with a squadron of five sail of the line, which had been dis- 
abled in action only five days before, he attacked an ene- 
my's fleet consisting of two ships of 112 guns, one of 94> 
three of 84, four of 74, four frigates, and a considerable 
number of gun-boats. The result was the destruction of the 
Keal Carlos, and San Hermenigelod, of 112 guns each, 
which blew up, and the capture of the San Antonio, of 74. 
— Tn June, 1803, Sir James received the command of a 
squadron stationed off Guernsey. — For his numerous and 
meritorious services, be enjoys from government a pensioii 
of 12001. per annum. 



128 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 



CHJP. IF. 



FROM 1799 TO 1800. 

Sir Horatio Nelson is elevated to the Peerage — Presents^ 
the Sword of the French Admiral, taken at Aboukir, ta 
the City of London — Receives an additional Pension — 
Sentiments of Parliament concerning his Victory — Valu- 
able presents sent him by the Grand Signor — Capture of 
the Leander, carrying his dispatches to Earl St. Vincent, 
by the French — His Proceedings at Naples and Palermo 
— Distinctions conferred on him by the King of Naples 
— Naval Fete, given in honor of him, at Palermo — A 
monument decreed him by the inhabitants of Rome — He 
takes the Genereux — Is landed ill in Sicily— Capture of 
the Guillaurae Tell, by his Ship the Foudroyant — His 
Lordship returns to England. 

On the 2d of October, tbe intelligence of tbe 
glorious victory of Aboukir was brought to En- 
gland by the Hon. Captain Capel. Never was ex- 
ultation so universally diffused among all ranks 
of people. Public rejoicings and illuminations 
were continued for several days, and a subscrip- 
tion was immediately opened, for the relief of the 
widows and children of the brave men who fell 
in the glorious conflict. On the 6th his Majesty 
created the brave admiral a peer of Great Bri- 



LORD NELSON. 1^9 

tain, by the title of Baron Nelson of the Nile 
and of Burnham Thorpe, in the county of Nor- 
folk. 

The sword, which the French admiral, Blan- 
quet, had surrendered to Sir Horatio was deli- 
vered by the gallant commander to Captain Ca- 
pel, to be presented to the city of London, with 
the following letter to the Lord Mayor : 

*' Vanguard, Mouth of the Nil6 • 
Aug. 8, J798. 
*' MY lORD, 

'' Having the honor of being a freeman of the city of 
London, I take the liberty of sending to your lordship the 
sword of the communding Frencti admiral, M. Blanquet, 
who survived after the battle of the First, oiTthe Kile ; and 
request that the city of London will honor me witli the ac- 
ceptance of it, as a remembrance, that Britannia still rules 
the weaves, which, that she may ever do, is the fervent 
prayer of 

" Your lordship's most obedient servant, 

*' HORATIO NELSON." 

On the l6th of October, the committee ap- 
pointed to consider of the best manner of dis- 
posing of the sword, presented to the court b^ 
Admiral Nelson, reported the foilovv'ing resolu- 
tion, which was agreed to : *' That the sword, 
delivered up to our gallant hero, Lord Nelson, 
by the French admiral, M. Blanquet, be put up 
in the most conspicuous place, in the common- 
Q 



ISO 



PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 



council chamber, with the following inscription, 
engraved on a marble tablet— T/^e sword of Mons. 
Blanquet, the commanding French admiral^ in the 
glorious engagement of the Nile, on the first of Au- 
gust, 1/98, presented to the court by the Right 
Hon, Rear-admiral Lord Nelson/' 

How highly the services of the brave admiral 
were appreciated by his country, was evinced on 
the meeting of Parliament, in the month of No- 
vember. His Majesty, in opening the session, as 
usual, by a speech from the throne, bore the most 
flattering testimony to his deserts. — *' The unex- 
ampled series of our naval triumphs has received 
fresh splendor from the memorable and decisive 
action, in which a detachment of my fleet, under 
the command of Rear-admiral Lord Nelson, at- 
tacked and almost destroyed a superior force of 
the enemy, strengthened by every advantage of 
situation. By this great and brilliant victory, an 
enterprize, of which the injustice, perfidy, and 
extravagance, had fixed the attention of the 
world, and which was peculiarly directed against 
some of the most valuable -interests of the Bri- 
tish empire, has, in the first instance, been turned 
to the confusion of its authors; and the blow thus 
given to the power and influence of France, has 
afforded an opening which, if improved by suita- 
ble exertions on the part of the otlier powers, 
may lead to the general deliverance of Europe.** 



lORD NELSON^ 131 

A few days afterwards, a message from the king 
was presented to the House of Commons by Mr. 
Pitt relative to his lordship, to the following ef- 
fect : — '' His Majesty, having taken into his se- 
rious consideration the signal and glorious vic- 
tory obtained by Rear-admiral Lord Nelson over 
a superior force of the enemy, in the action off 
the mouth of the Nile, on the 1st of August last, 
not only highly honorable to himself, but singu- 
larly beneficial to the interests of these kingdoms; 
and being desirous to bestow a signal and lasting 
mark of his favor on the said Admiral Lord Nel- 
son, did grant unto him, the said Admiral Lord 
Nelson, an annuity of two thousand pounds per 
annum. But his Majesty, not possessing the 
means of continuing the same, nor having it in 
his power to secure it to the said Lord Nelson 
beyond his own life, recommends it to his faithful 
commons to make such provisions as to them 
fehould appear fit, to enable his Majesty to carry 
his intentions into effect/' — Mr. Pitt accordingly 
moved, that a pension of two thousand pounds 
per annum, to commence on the first of August, 
1798, should be granted to Admiral Lord Nel- 
son, of the Nile, and his two next successors in 
the title.'' 

General Walpole, who seconded this motion, 
thought that Lord Kelson should also have a 
higher degree of rank. INIr, Pitt, in reply, ob- 
0^2 



132 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

served, that, " entertaining the highest sense of 
the transcendent merits of Admiral Nelson, he 
thought it needless to enter at any length into 
the question of rank. His fame must be coeval 
with the British name ; and it would be remem- 
bered, that he had obtained the greatest naval 
victory on record, when no man would think it 
worth his while to ask, whether he had been cre- 
ated a baron, a viscount, or an earl." Mr. Johnes 
declared, that in his opinion, the consequences of 
Lord Nelson's achievement were such, as to en- 
title him to the appellation oi the Savior ofman^ 
kind. 

These eulogiums, more flattering than any 
other compensations to the noble mind of his 
lordship, were not the only rewards bestowed by 
his grateful countrymen. The East-India Com- 
pany, conscious of the critical situation from 
which their possessions had been rescued by his 
intrepidity, presented him with ten thousand 
pounds ; the city of London a sword, valued at 
two hundred guineas ; and the Turkey company 
with a piece of plate of great value. The cap- 
tains of the fleet, under his command, likewise or- 
dered an elegant sword to be made and presented 
to his lordship, the hilt to represent a crocodile, 
with the names of the ships and their command- 
ers engraved upon it. The thanks of both houses 
of parliament had been previously voted to the 



LORD NELSON. 133 

brave admiral,* the captains, officers, seamen, 
and marines for the resolute and intrepid conduct 
which they displayed on this occasion. The cap- 
tains were ordered to be presented with gold me- 
dals, emblematical of the victory. Captain Har- 
dy, of La Mutine, the only sloop in company, 
was promoted to the rank of post-captain in the 
Vanguard, in the room of Captain Berry, who 
had been sent with the admiral's dispatches to 
Loid St. Vincent; and the first lieutenants of the 
line of battle ships, excepting the Culloden, 
v,^hich had unfortunately run aground, had been 



* The following answer was returned by his lordship to 
the vote of thanks : 

<' Vanguard, Palermo, Jan. 31, 1799. 
" SIR, 

" Believe me, T feel as I ought the noble reward which 
our country has bestowed on nie by its thanks j and I beg. 
Sir, you will have the goodness to express to the honorable 
house my gratitude. I can answer for that of my brave 
brethren, who fought with me in the battle of the Nile. — 
To you. Sir, who have not only so handsomely, but so ele- 
gantly, conveyed to me the resolutions of the House, words 
are inadequate to express what I feel ; but believe me. Sir, 
I am with every sentiment of respect and esteem, 

*' Your most obliged and faithful servant. 



NELSOX. 



*' To the Right Honorable Henry Addington, 
" Speaker of tlie House of Commons." 



134 l^ROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

prevented from sharing in the action, were ap» 
pointed masters and commanders. 

While the hero of the Nile and his brave com- 
panions were receiving honors, emoluments, and 
distinction from their grateful country, foreign 
nations likewise endeavored to express the high 
sense they entertained of their exploits. As soon 
as the intelligence of the victory reached Con- 
stantinople, the Grand Signior directed a superb 
diamond aigrette, called a ckekngk, or plume of 
triumph, to be taken from one of the imperial 
turbans, and to be sent to the admiral, together 
with a pelice of sable fur of the first quality. He 
likewise ordered a purse of two thousand sequins 
to be distributed among the British seamen who 
had been wounded in the battle. A note, of 
which the following is a translation, was at the 
same time delivered to Mr. Spencer Smith, the 
British minister at Constantinople. 

'^ It is but lately, that, by a written communi- 
cation, it has been made known how much the 
Sublime Porte rejoiced at the first advice of the 
English squadron, in the White Sea, having de- 
feated the French squadron off Alexandria, in 

Egypt. 

*' By recent accounts, comprehending a spe- 
cific detail of the action, it appears now more po- 
sitive, that his Britannic Majesty's fleet has actu- 



jloud nelson. 135 

ally destroyed by that action the best ships the 
French had in their possession. 

" This joyful event, therefore, laying this em- 
pire under an obligation, and the service rendered 
by our much-esteemed friend. Admiral Nelson, 
on this occasion, being of a nature to call for pub- 
lic acknowledgment, his imperial majesty, the 
powerful, formidable, and most magnificent Grand 
Signior, has destined as a present, in his imperial 
name, to the said admiral, a diamond aigrette^ 
(clielengk) and a sable fur, with broad sleeves ; 
besides two thousand sequins to be distributed 
among the wounded of his crew. And as the 
English minister is constantly zealous, by his en- 
deavours to the encrease of friendship between 
the two courts, it is hoped he will not fail to make 
known this circumstance to his court, and to so- 
licit the permission of the powerful and august 
king of England, for the said admiral to put on 
and wear the said aigrette and pelice. 

%2f. 8, 1798." 

These presents were conveyed to his lordship 
at Naples, in charge^ of an effendi, or secretary, 
in the Alcmene frigate. The effendi and his suite, 
thirteen in number, performed their part with 
great gravity and dignity. They put on their no- 
ble robes in his anti-chamber, and presented the 
aigrette on cushions, after the oriental manner. 
The robe, lined with the finest sable imaginable, 
5 



136 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

was of scarlet [cloth, and of inestimable value. 
The aigrette, a kind of feather, represented a 
hand with thirteen fingers, which were of dia- 
monds, and alluded to the thirteen ships taken 
and destroyed at Aboukir ; the size was that of a 
child's hand, about six years old, when opened. 
Th^ centre diamond, and the four round it, were 
estimated at one thousand pounds each, and there 
were three hundred more well set. These two 
presents were accompanied by several others of 
less value, and a letter full of assurances of friend- 
ship from the Grand Signior, whose request to 
his Britannic Majesty, relative to the noble ad- 
miral, was instantly complied with.* 

* The following is the notice which appeared on the oc- 
casion in the London Gazette, of the S'^d Nov. 1798; 

" Whitehall, Nov. 20. The king has been graciously 
pleased to give and grant unto the right honorable Horatio 
Baron Nelson of the Nile, and of Burnham Thorpe, in the 
county of Norfolk, rear-admiral of the blue squadron of his 
majesty's fleet, and knight of the most honorable military 
order of the Bath, in consideration of the great zeal, cou- 
rase, and perseverance manifested by him upon divers oc- 
casions, and particularly of his able and gallant conduct in 
the glorious and decisive victory obtained over the French 
fleet, near the mouth of the Nile, on the first day of Au- 
gust last, his royal licence and authority, that he and his 
issue may bear the following honorable augmentations to his 
armorial ensigns : viz. " A chief undulatecT argent, thereon 
waves of the sea, fram which a palm-tree issuant, between 



I 



LORD NELSON. 137 

From the Grand Signior's mother he likewise 
received a rose, set with diamonds; from the 
emperor Paul, a comphmentary letter, written 
with his own hand, accompanied with a portrait 
of his imperial majesty of all the Russias, most 
superbly set in brilliants ; from the king of Sar- 
dinia a letter, and a box set wuth diamonds ; and 
from the inhabitants of the island of Zante, a 
gold-headed sword and cane, as an acknowledg- 
ment^ that, had it not been for the battle of the 



a disabled ship on the de:xter and a ruinous battery on the 
sinister, all proper ; and for his crest, on a naval crown. 
Or, Chelengk, or Plume of Triumph, presented to him by the 
Grand Signior, as a mark of hi-s high esteem, and of his 
sense of the gallant conduct of the said Horatio Baron Nel- 
son in the said glorious and decisive victory ; with the mot- 
to — " Pahxiam qui meruit ferat;" and to his supporters, 
being a sailor on the dexter, and a lion on the sinister, the 
honorable augmentations foilov^^ing : viz. In the hand of 
the sailor a paim-branch, and another in the paw of the iion, 
hath proper, witli the addition of a tri-colored flag and staff 
in the mouth of the latter ; which augmentations to the 
supporters to be borne by the said Horatio Baron Nelson, 
tmd by those to whom the said dignity shall descend, in vir- 
tue of his Majesty's letters-patent of creation ; and that the 
same may be first duly exemphfied according to the laws of 
arms, and recorded in the Heralds' Office. 

'^ And also to order, that his Majest3^'s said concession 
and special Uiaik of his royal favor be registered in Jiis col- 
lege of arms." 

a 



138 PPwOFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Nile, they could not have been liberated from 
French cruelty. 

It appeared in the sequel how judiciously the 
noble admiral had acted, in sending home a du- 
plicate of his dispatches, relative to the victory, 
by overland conveyance. The Leander, Cap- 
tain Thompson, having on board Captain Berry, 
charged with those to the commander - in- 
chief, fell in, on the l6th of August, off the island 
of Candia, with the Genereux, one of the run- 
away ships, which had escaped from the Nile 
after the engagement. She stood with a fine 
breeze towards the Leander, which was becalm- 
ed, with 80 men short of her complement, and a 
number on board who had been wounded on the 
1 st of August. Under these circumstances^ Cap- 
tain Thompson did not think himself justified in 
seeking an action with an enemy so much his su- 
perior in point of size and force. He accordingly 
availed himself of all the means in his power to 
avoid it; but soon found, that, from the Lean- 
der^s inferiority of sailing, it would be impossible 
to escape. He, therefore, with all sail set, steer- 
ed such a course as he judged would enable him 
to receive his adversary to the best advantage. 
At eight, A. M. the Genereux, being to wind- 
ward, had approached within random shot of the 
Leander, with Neapolitan colours, which she 
then changed to French. Capt, Thompson, not 



LORD NELSON. 139 

deceived by this artifice, had been convinced for 
some time that she belonged to the latter nation. 
At nine, she was within half gun-shot of the Lean- 
der's weather-quarter, when Captain Thompson 
hauled up sufficiently to bringhisbroadside to bear, 
and immediately commenced a vigorous canno- 
nade, which was returned. The ships continued 
nearing each other till half past ten, keeping up a 
constant and heavy fire. The enemy now avail- 
ed himself of the disabled condition of the Lean- 
der, to lay her on board on the larboard bow ; 
but a most spirited and v;ell-directed fire from 
the small party of marines on the poop and quar- 
ter-deck, supported by a furious cannonade, pre- 
vented the enemy from taking advantage of bis 
situation, and he was repulsed with great slaugh- 
ter. A light breeze, giving the ships way, en- 
abled Captain Thompson to disentangle himself 
from the enemy; and soon after v;ards he had the 
satisfaction to luff under his stern, and passing 
witliin ten yards, discharged every gun into him. 
The action was now continued without intermis- 
sion, within pistol-shot, till half-past three in the 
afternoon, when the enemy, with a hght breeze, 
passed the Leander's bows, and brought himself 
on her starboard side, where the guns had been 
nearly all disabled from the wreck of the spars, 
which had fallen on that side. As this produced a 
cessation of fire on her part, the enemy hailed to 
R 2 



140 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

enquire if she had surrendered. The Leander 
was totally ungovernable, being a complete wreck, 
not having a thing standing, but the shattered re- 
mains of the fore and main-masls, and the bow- 
sprit ; her hull cut to pieces, and her decks full of 
killed and wounded. In this defenceless situa- 
tion. Captain Thompson, who was himself badly 
wounded, and had not the most distant hope of 
success, asked Captain Berry if he thought he 
could do more. Captain Berry coinciding in the 
opinion that farther resistance would be vain and 
impracticable, he directed an answer to be given in 
the affirmative, and the eneniy took possession of 
his Majesty's ship. The Genereux, commanded 
by M. Lejoille, chef de divisio?i, carried 74 guns, 
and had on board 9OO men, of whom 100 were 
killed, and 188 wounded in the conflict. The 
Leander had 35 killed, and 58 wounded.* 

* The reader will not be displeased to have an opportu- 
nity of comparing with the above account, the official state- 
ment of the captain of the Genereux, of his exploits at the 
battle of the Nile, and on the present occasion. 

*' Corfu, Sept. 3, 179S. 
'' I HAVE the pleasure to announce to 3^ou my arrival at 
Corfu. I have been here for some days past, having 
brought in the English ship, Leander, of seventy-four guns, 
which I met near the islands of Goza and Gandia, near a 
mile from the shore. This ship had been sent with dis- 
patches from B.equieres (Aboukir) Road^ where the Eng- 



LORD NELSON. 141 

No sooner had Captain Thompson and his 
officers arrived on board the Genereux, than they 

isli had attacked us on the 1st of August. We were at ar> 
chor, but in a position certainly not very secure for our 
squadron, of this bad situation they took advantage, and 
having placed us between two fireS;, a most dreadful slaugh- 
ter took place, the ships not being at a greater distance than 
pistol-shot, and at anchor. From the circumstance of the 
wind, with relation to the English ships, we should have 
been superior in the contest, if L'Orient, our admiral's ship, 
had not blown up, v/hich threw us all into disorder ; as, to 
avoid the flames, which had already reached Le Tonnant, 
every vessel was obliged to shift her station. Having, how- 
ever placed my ship in a situation favorable to the direc- 
tion of her guns, 1 fought her till three in the morning of 
the day following that, on which, at ten in the evening 
L'Orient blew up. 

'' By a singular accident I missed having a broadside at 
Captain Darb}^, who sailed with us in the last war from the 
Cape of Good Hope to Cadiz. His ship, the Bellerophon, 
of 74 guns, sailed past me about half past ten in the even- 
ing, having lost her main and mizen-masts. I fired three 
guns at her, which carried away the mast she was hoisting, 
and struck away one of the ianthorns of the poop. 

" I immediately ordered one of my officers to go in pur- 
suit of, and to bring on board my ship, the captain of this 
vessel; but half an hour afterwards, when I was about to 
send my boat on board her, the fire from several English 
sliips compelled me rather to think of answering their guns 
than of taking possession of the other ship ; and the slow 
•manner in which the officer, whom I had dispatched, pro- 
ceeded to execute ray orders, was the cause of my failing 
to take possession of her. 



14^ PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

v-ere plundered of every article belonging to 
them, excepting the clothes they wore. In vain 
they expostulated with the French captain on this 
harsh treatment, and when they reminded him of 
the situation of the French officers made priso- 
ners by Admiral Nelson, in comparison with 
those now taken in the Leander, he coolly re- 
plied : J'en suis fache, inais le fait est que les Fran." 
fois sont hons ait pillage^ — " 1 am sorry for it ; 
but the fact is that the French are expert at 
plunder/' Captain Berry expressed a wish to 
have a pair of pistols, of which he had been 
plundered, returned to him. On being produced 
by the man who took them, the French captain 
immediately secured them for himself, telling Cap- 
tain Berry that he would give him a pair of 
French pistols to protect him on his journey 
home ; but this promise was never performed. 
Various other acts of cruelty were endured by 
Captain Thompson and his gallant crew. The 

" As to the Leander, I was obliged to figlit with her for 

nearly four hours and three quarters. She carries seven- 

tj^-four guns, 24 and 30-pounders on her lower deck, and 

12-pounders on her upper. I should have made myself 

master of her in less than an hour, had we been at close 

fighting. Daring the engagement we boarded her; I should 

have succeeded in carrying her by boarding, had I had » 

more active crew. 

(Signed) ''LEJOILLE, JUN.« 



LORD NELSON. 143 

French even carried their inhumanity to such a 
pilch, that at the very moment the surgeon of the 
Leander was performing the chirurgical opera- 
tions, they robbed him of his mstruments, and 
the wound which Captain Thompson had received 
was near proving fatal by their forcibly with- 
holding the attendance of his surgeon.* 

* The barbarous treatment inflicted on these brave mea 
was 'continued after their arrival at Corfu, as is evident 
from the following letter from Mr. Stanley, the British con- 
sul at Trieste to the Lords of the Admiralty : — ■ 

« MY LORDS, *' Trieste, 3d December, 1799. 

*' Thirty seamen of the Leander which was taken and 
carried into Corfu, arrived here from that island the 20th 
ult. These poor men were forced away in three small in- 
convenient vessels, ten in each, some of them being badly 
wounded, and in a very weak state, being obliged to lie oa 
the decks, exposed to the inclemency of the season seven- 
teen daj^s. On Friday ten more arrived from the same 
place. The first thirty having finished their quarantine of 
thirteen days, came out this morning, much recovered, from 
the attention to their health and food. The last ten have 
suffered much more than the others, being twenty-three, 
days on their passage, and so short of provisions, that had 
not some passengers taken compassion on them, they must 
have perished. I am sorry to observe the French behaved 
very badly to them in the shortness of provisions. I hope, 
by proiw2r care, to be able to restore these valuable and 
meritorious men to their country and families. 
'- I have the honor to be, &c. 

*' EDWARD STANLEY. « 

6 



144 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

It was at Naples that the noble admiral was in- 
formed of the capture of his brave companions, 
and there likewise on the 21st of December, on 
the approach of the French army, he received 
the king and the whole royal family on board the 
Vanguard, and conveyed them to Palermo, in 
Sicily. In the month of March, ^799y his lord* 
ship arranged a plan for recovering the islands 
in the bay of Naples, and for supporting the 
royalists who were again making head in the 
kingdom. In IMay he shifted his flag on board 
the Foudroyant, of 80 guns, having been ad- 
vanced, on the 14th of February, to the rank of 
rear-admiral of the red. 

In June the French evacuated Naples, retain- 
ing possession of the strong castle of St. Elmo> 
and towards the conclusion of the month Lord 
Nelson arrived from Palermo in the port of that 
capital. Finding that Cardinal Ruffo had con- 
cluded a disgraceful convention with the French- 
and Neapolitan rebels, which was disapproved by 
the king, his lordship declared it to be null and 
void. One of the first articles was, that a pardon 
should be granted to Prince Carraccioli, the chief 
of the revolutionary party : him, however, Lord 
Kelson ordered to be immediately arrested, tried, 
and hanged v/ithin twenty-four hours after the sen- 
tence was pronounced. Several other articles of 



LORD NELSON. 145 

the convention were likewise set aside by his 
lordship.* 

The next step necessary to be taken was to 
dispossess the French of the castle of St. Elmo. 
For this purpose a large detachment of' seamen 
and marines from the squadron was landed, under 
the command of Captain Troubridge, of the Cul- 
loden, who was assisted for the first seven days 
by Captain Ball of the Alexander f ; but the ad- 



* Ho'.v far it might have been more politic to have par- 
doned the offenders, and to have confirmed the treaty con- 
cluded with the revolutionary party at Naples, we shall 
not examine. Certain it is, however, that this is the only 
part of the public conduct of the noble admiral, during his 
active and eventful life, on which two opinions are enter- 
tained. That horror of treason aud anarchy of every kind 
which he uniformly evinced, led to the decisive measures 
which he adopted on this,occasion. 

t Captain Alexander John Ball was soon afterwards so- 
licited by the inhabitants of Malta to take upon himself 
the civil and military command of the island. He complied 
with their desire, and in this station gave them so much 
satisfaction that they sent a deputation to his Sicilian ma- 
j esty and to Lord Nelson, requesting that Captain Ball 
might be appointed governor. They acceded, and he re- 
mained at Malta until he was appointed naval commissioner 
at Gibraltar. For his services in the Mediterranean, he re- 
ceived from his sovereign the honor of knighthood, and the 
rank of commander of the order of St. Ferdinand azid of 
Merit, was conferred upon him by the king of the Two Si- 



146 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

miral wanting the services of that officer in the 
blockade of Malta, his place was supplied by 
Captain Hallowell, of the Swiftsure*. A party of 



cilies. In November, 1B05, he was promoted to the rank 
of rear-admiral of the blue. 

* Captain Hallowell served with great distinction at the 
reduction of Bastia, in Corsica. He was afterwards ap- 
pointed to the command of the Courageux, of 74 guns, 
■which ship, being driven from anchor in Gibraltar Bay by 
a violent gale of wind, stood too far over to the Barbary 
coast in the night, and struck upon a rock, where she was 
soon dashed to pieces. This melancholy accident was at- 
tended with the loss of nearly 500 brave men, only 124 of 
the crew being saved. Captain Hallowell was attending a 
court-martial when the ship broke adrift, and it blew so hard 
that he could not get on board, otherwise his country would 
probably have had to regret the loss of another brave and 
valuable officer. After the loss of his ship. Captain Hallo- 
well was received on board the Victory, Sir John Jervis's 
flag-ship, and served as a volunteer in the action of the 
1 4th of February, 1797. The share he took in the battle 
of the Nile, in the Swiftsure, has been amply related. He 
afterwards assisted at the reduction of Malta. In Ju]y, 
1801, Captain Hallowell was proceeding with a convoy to 
that island, when he fell in with a French squadron, under 
Admirat^Gantheaume, who was returning from an unsuc- 
cessful attempt to land reinforcements for the army of 
Egypt. With four ships of equal or superior force to the 
Swiftsure, this gallant officer maintained an unequal con- 
flict ot above an hour, when the crippled state of his ship 
compelled him to strike. Since the commencement of the 



LORD NELSON. 147 

Russians and Portuguese joined Captain Trou- 
bridge, and rendered essential service during the 
siege, which continued from the 3d to the 12th 
July, when the castle capitulated. * 

present war. Captain Hallowell has been appointed to the< 
command of theTigre, in which he accompanied Lord Nel- 
son in the first part of the year 1805, in his memorable 
chace to Egypt and the West-Indies. 

* The following are extracts of letters written hy his 
lordship on the above events^ to the secretary of the Ad- 
miralty, and to admiral Lord Keith, who had succeeded 
Earl St. Vincent as commander in chief in the Mediter- 
ranean. 

"Bay of Naples, 27th June, 1799. 

'' I AM happy in being able to congratulate their lord- 
ships on the possession of the city of Naples. St. Elmo is 
yet in the hands of the French, but the castles of Ovo and 
Nuovo I took possession of last evening, and his Sicilian 
Majesty's colors are now flying on them. 
*' Evan Nepean, Esq.^ 

«' Foudroyant, Bay of Naples, l3[b July, 1792. 

" I HAVE the pleasure to inform you of the surrender of 
fort St. Elmo, after open batteries of eight days, during 
which time our heavy batteries were advanced within 180 
yards of the ditch. The very great strength of St.^lmo, 
and its more formidable position, will mark with what for 
titude, perseverance, and activity, the combined forces must 
have acted. Captain Troubridge was the officer selected 
for the command of the forces landed from the squadron. 
Captain BaU assisted him for seven days, till his services 
were wanted at Malta, when his place was ably supplied by 
S 2 



148 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

His lordship having, as his Neapolitan majesty 
was pleased to say, reconquered his kingdom, 

Captain Hallowell, an officer of the most distinguished 
merit, and to whom Captain Troubridge expresses the 
highest obligation. Captain Hood, with a garrison for 
Castel Nuovo, and to keep good order in the capital, waS' 
also landed from the squadron ; and I have the pleasure to 
tell you, that no capital is more quiet than that of Naples. 
I transmit Captain Troubridge's letter to me, with returns 
of killed and wounded. I have to state to your lordship, 
that although the abilities and resources of my brave friend 
Troubridge are well known to all the world, yet even he 
had difficulties to struggle with in every way, which the 
state of the capital will easily bring to your idea, that has 
raised his great character even higher than it was before. 
" I am, &c, 

" NELSON. 
" Right Hon. Lord Keith, &c." 

«' Foudroyant, Naples Bay, July 23, 1799. 

" MY LORD, 

" His Sicilian Majesty arrived in this bay on the 10th, 
and immediately hoisted his flag on board the Foudroyant, 
where his Majesty still remains with all his ministers. 

*' I have the honor to be, &c, 

'* NELSON." 
"Right Hon. Lord Keith, &c." 

*' Bay of Naples, 14th July, 1799. 

'♦' Herewith I have the honor of sending you copies of 
my letters to the commander in chief, and the capitulation 
granted to the French in St. Elmo. All the chief rebels 
are now on board his Majesty's fleet. Capua and Gaieta 
■will very soon be in our possession, when flie kingdom will 
be liberated from anarchy and misery." 

*' Evan Nepean, Esq.** 



LORD NELSON. 149 

and placed him on his throne, conveyed that mo- 
narch back to Palermo, on the gth of August, 
after he had been upwards of four weeks on board 
the Foudro37ant. On the 13th his majesty pre- 
sented him with a sword* magnificently enriched 
with diamonds of the value of sixty thousand du- 
cats, and conferred on him the title of Duke of 
Bronte, annexing to it the feud of that naiie, 
producing a revenue of 30001. per annum. This 
title was in allusion to the thunders of the battle 
off the Nile, Bronte being the forge of the Cy- 
clops, in which were made the thunders of Jove. 
On the 3d of September a naval fete was given 
to their Sicilian Majesties, at Palermo, by their 
youngest son, Prince Leopold, to celebrate the 
recover}^ of their kingdom under the auspices of 
his lordship, who was present with the admirals 
of the Russian and Turkish squadrons, their offi- 
cers, and a few of the principal nobility of Na- 



* Valuable as was this present, the anecdote attending it 
must have rendered it doubly precious in the eyes of the 
noble admiral. Charles the Third, on his departure for 
Spain, presented this sword to his son, the King of Naples, 
observing as he delivered it : *' With this sword I conquer- 
ed the kingdom which I now resign to you : it ought, in fu- 
ture, to be possessed by the first defender of the same, or 
by him who shall restore it to you, in case it should ever be 
lost." 



150 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

pies and Palermo. Their majesties .received the 
company, and the young prince, then nine years 
of age, and educated for the navy, did the honors 
of the evening in his midshipman's uniform. The 
three princesses, and the consort of the hereditary 
prince, each v/ore round her neck some ornament 
allusive to Lord Nelson and his victories. The 
entertainment began with a magnificent fire-work 
in the garden of the palace ; it represented the 
English and French fleets at Aboukir, the ever- 
memorable battle off the Nile, and the total de- 
feat of the enemy's ships, concluding with the ex- 
plosion of L'Orient, and the blowing up of the 
tri-colored flag. By a singular coincidence it 
happened to be the anniversary of the day on 
which the first news of his lordship's achievement 
arrived at Naples. The queen took notice of 
this circumstance, and turning to Cadir Bey, the 
Turkish admiral, said : '' On this day, last year, 
we received from Lady Hamilton intelhgence of 
this great man's victory, which not only saved 
your country and ours, but all Europe." After 
the fire-works a cantata was performed, entitled, 
<' The Happy Concord." It expressed the pub- 
lic joy for the deliverance of the two kingdoms, 
loyal wishes for the prosperity of their majesties 
and the royal family, and for that of Lord Nelson 
in the following lines : 



LORD NELSON. 151 

*' Long live the British hero ! 

'' Long live great Nelson ! 
" It is he that drove far from us all affliction, 
^' It is he who gave peace to oar troubled hearts !" 

Amid these flattering demonstrations of grati- 
tude and applause, which might have intoxicated 
a mind less firm and less modest, that of his lord- 
ship was not to be diverted from his attention to 
the interest of his country. On the arrival of the 
Russian squadron at Naples, the admiral dispatch- 
ed Commodore Troubridge* to blockade Ci- 

* This gallant officer has passed almost the whole of his 
life in active service, and has had repeated occasions of dis- 
tinguishing himself for that zeal and intrepidity which has 
so justly exalted his naval character. On that memorable 
day, when fifteen British ships of the line attacked and con- 
quered twenty -seven sail of Spanish men of war of the 
largest size off Cape St. Vincent, and bore away four of 
their ships as trophies of the victory. Captain Troubridge of 
the Culloden, had the honor of leading the van into battle. 
The accident, which so cruelly disappointed his hopes of 
acquiring new laurels'at the battle of Aboukir, has been al- 
ready described. For his services in the Mediterranean, 
subsequent to that period, he was created a baronet, and 
was invested with the rank of a commander of the order of 
St. Ferdinand and of Merit by the king of the Two Sicilies. 
In 1800 he was first Captain of the Channel-fleet, under 
Sir Hyde Parker, and on the 21st of February, 1801, he 
was appointed to the honorable situation of lord of the ad- 
miralty. Since the commencement of the present war. Sir 

2 



152 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

vita Vecchia, and to drive the French from th< 
Roman territory; at the same time directing him 
to offer the enemy very favourable conditions if 
they would evacuate that state. With these terms 
the French general, Grenier, thought fit to com- 
ply, and they were signed on board the Culloden. 
Accordingly, on the 29th and 30th of Septem- 
ber, a detachment of 200 seamen and marines 
were landed from the Minotaur and Culloden, 
and took possession of Civita Vecchia, Corneto 
and Tolfa. General Bouchard, and Captain Louis,. 
of the Minotaur, were sent to take possession of 
Rome on the same terms. Thus was fulfilled a 
prophecy made to his lordship on his arrival at 
Naples : *' That he should take Rome by his 
ships.^* 

At the moment this convention was concluded, 
all the rarest works of art at Rome were packed 
up by the French, and ready to be sent away. 
By the arrival of the English squadron, this de- 
sign was, however, frustrated, and the inhabi- 
tants of Rome, as a tribute of gratitude to his 
lordship, resolved to erect a superb monument 
in honour of him in that city. On this occasion 
his lordship wrote the following letter to the agent, 

Thomas Troubridge, who had previously attained to the 
rank of a fiag-officer, has been appointed to a command itt 
the East Indies. 



tORD NELSON. 153 

to whom the conduct of the business was com- 
mitted: 

" Palermo, Dec, ]9tU. 

'' DEAR SIR, 

'' Sir VVillam Hamilton has been so kind to communi- 
cate to me the distinguished honor intended me by the in- 
iiabitants, by you, and other professors and admirers of the 
line arts at Rome, to erect a monument. T have not words 
sufficient to express my feelings on hearing that my action? 
have contributed to preserve the works which form the 
school of fine arts in Italy, which the modern Goths wanted 
to carry off and destroy. 

" That they may always remain in the only place worthy 
of them — Rome, are, and will be my fervent wishes, toge- 
ther with the esteem of, 

'' Dear Sir, 

*' Your most obliged servant, 

" BRONTE AND NELSON^." 

His lordship remained at Palermo till the be- 
ginning of the year 1 800, when Vice-Admiral 
Lord Keith, the commander-in-chief in the Me- 
diterranean, received intelligence that the French 
intended to make the attempt to throw succours 
into Malta, which was, at that time, closely be- 
sieged. He, therefore, directed Lord Nelson to 
proceed to windw^ard of the island, to look out 
with three sail of the line, while he himself, in the 
Queen Charlotte, lay close in with the mouth of 
the harbour. On the 18th of February, Lord 
Nelson had the satisfaction of falUng in with one 
of his old enemies, the Genereux, who was less 

T 



154 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

fortunate on this occasion than she bad been in 
her former encounter with his lordship. His let- 
ter to Lord Keith concerning this affair is as fol- 
lows : — 

« Foudroyant, at Sea, off Cape di Corvo, eight leagues west of 
Cape Passaro, off Shore about four miles, 18ih February, 1800. 

** MY LORD, 

''This morning, at day-light, being in company with 
the ships named in the margin (Northumberland, Auda- 
cious, and El Corso brig), I saw the Alexander in chase of 
a line of battle-ship, three frigates, and a corvette. At 
about eight o'clock she fired several shot at one of the ene- 
my's frigates, which struck her colours, and leaving her to 
be secured by the ships astern, continued the chase. I 
directed Captain Gould, of the Audacious, and the El Corso 
brig, to take charge of this prize. 

^* At half-past one, P.M. the frigates and corvette tacked 
to the westward ; but the line of battle-ship not being able 
to tack without coming to action with the Alexander, bore 
up. The Success being to leeward. Captain Peard, with 
great judgment and gallantry, lay across his hawse, and 
raked him with several broadsides : in passing the French 
ship's broadside, several shot struck the Success, by which 
one man was killed, and the master and eight men wounded. 

" At half-past four, the Foudroyant and Northumber- 
land coming up, the former fired two shot, when the French 
ship fired her broadside, and struck her colours. She proved 
to be the Genereux, of 74 guns, bearing the flag of Rear- 
Admiral Perre, c6mmander in chief of the French naval 
force in the Mediterranean, having a number of troops on 
board from Toulon, bound for the relief of Malta. I attri- 
bute our success to be principally owing to the extreme 
good management of Lieutenant William Harrington, who 

3 



LORD NELSON. 155 

commands the Alexander in the ahsence of Captain Ball, 
and I am much pleased with the gallant behaviour of Cap- 
tain Peard, of the Success, as also with the alacrity 
and good conduct of Captain Martin and Sir Edward 
Berry. 

" I have sent Lieutenant Andrew Thompson, first lieu- 
tenant of the Foudroyant, to take charge of the Genereux, 
whom I beg leave to recommend to your lordship for pro- 
motion ; and have sent her, under care of the Northumber- 
land and Alexander, to Syracuse, to wait your lordship's 
orders, 

" I have the honor to be, &c. 

" My lord,&c. 

« BRONTE AND NELSON.' 

Soon after this event his lordship was taken so' 
ill that he was under the necessity of going on 
shore in Sicily, leaving his captain, Sir Edward 
Berry,* in the command of the Foudroyaut, who, 
during the absence of the admiral, had the pecu- 
liar gratification of taking, after an obstinate en- 
gagement, the Guillaume Tell, of 86 guns, and 
1000 men, the only remaining ship of the French 
fleet which was in the action of the 1st of Au- 
gust. 

Captain Manley Dixon, being stationed off 
Malta with a squadron of ships of war, he di- 

^ On his return to England, after the taking of the Le- 
ander, this gallant officer received the honor of knighthood, 
and wa5 presented with the freedom of the city of London. 
He was soon afterwards presented b}'^ the Queen of Naples 
with a gold box and a diamond ring for his services in the 
Mediterranean, 

T 2 



156 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

rected Captain Blackwood, of the Penelope, on 
the night of the 30th of March, to stand close in 
to La Valette, in order to observe the enemy's 
motions more narrowly. About midnight he dis- 
covered a large ship, and dispatched the Minorca 
to inform Captain Dixon of the circumstance ; at 
the same time making the necessary signals, and 
giving chace himself. The ships of the squadron 
instantly cut, or slipped their cables, and went 
in pursuit, under a press of sail, guided only by 
the cannonading of the Penelope. At day-break 
Captain Dixon, in the Lion, had arrived within 
gun-shot of the chace. The Penelope, whose 
well-directed lire during the night, had carried 
away her main and mizen top-masts and main- 
yard, was within musket-shot raking her; the 
enemy appeared to be in great confusion, being 
reduced to his head-sails going with the wind on 
the quarter. The Lion was run close alongside, 
the yard-arms of both ships being just clear ; 
a destructive broadside of three-round shot 
was poured in, luffing up across the bow, when 
the enemy's jib-boom passed between the main 
and mizen-shrouds; after a short interval the 
boom was carried away, and the ships were dis- 
entangled. Captain Dixon^s object was to pre- 
vent either being boarded, as the enemy's ship 
was full of men, or exposing himself to her pow- 
erful broadside: he, therefore, maintained his 



LORD NELSON. 157 

position across her bow, firing to great advan* 
tage ; while she could only return with her bow- 
chasers and musquetry, the fire of which was, 
however, prodigious. 

In this manner the action had continued about 
fifty minutes, when the Foudroyant came up with 
a press of canvas, and Sir Edward Berry laying 
her so close alongside the enemy, that her spare 
anchor was but just clear of his mizen-chains, 
hailed the French commander, Admiral Decr«^s, 
and ordered him to strike. He answered by bran- 
dishing his sword over his headland discharged a 
musket at Sir Edward. This was followed by a 
broadside, which nearly unrigged the Foudrovant, 
whose guns, however, being prepared with three 
round shots in each, poured a most tremendous 
and effectual discharge, crashing through and 
through the enemy, and forming a perfect chord 
of harmopy in the ears of her gallant crew. The 
next broadside carried away the main and mizen- 
masts of the Guillaume Tell, at the same time the 
Foudroyant's fore-top mast, jib-boom, sprit-sail,, 
main top-sail yard, stay-sails, fore-sail and main- 
sail were all in tatters. In this situation it wa& 
difUcult to make the ship fall off so as to main- 
tain her position. The combatants, therefore, 
separated for a few minutes, when Sir Edward 
Berry called his men from the main-deck, and 
cutting away part of the wreck, once more got 



153 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

the ship under command, and again laid her 
close alongside her determined opponent, who 
nailed his colors to the stump of the mast, and 
displayed his flag on a pole above them. Sir Ed- 
Avard now commenced a tremendous and well- 
directed fire, his men having got into a system of 
firing every gun twice, or three times in a mi* 
nute, regularly going through the exercise. The 
Lion and Penelope were meanwhile doing great 
execution. At length, the fore-mast of the Guil- 
laume Tell, being, likewise, shot away, she struck 
her colours. In this obstinate conflict, which 
lasted an hour and a half, the Foudroyant had 
8 men killed and 6 1 wounded, among whom was 
Sir Edward Berry, slightly ; the Lion, 7 killed, 
and 38 wounded ; and the Penelope, 2 killed, 
and 2 wounded. The Foudroyant expended l62 
barrels of powder, 1200 thirty-two-pound shot, 
1240 twenty-pound, 100 eighteen-pound, and 
200 twelve-pound ditto. The slaughter on board 
the Guillaume Tell was very great, more than 
200 of her crew being killed and wounded. On 
her arrival in England her name was changed. to 
the Malta. 

After witnessing the complete annihilation or 
capture of that armament to which he had so 
successfully given the death-blow off the mouth 
of the Nile, and the surrender of Malta, his lord? 
ship set out for England. 



LORD NELSON. 159 



CHJP. F. 



Lord Nelson arrives in England — His distinguished recep- 
tion — Address of Chamberlain Clarke, and his Lordship'* 
answer — Appointed second in command in the expedition 
to the Baltic — Instructions previous to the attack of the 
Danish line of defence before Copenhagen — Battle of 
Copenhagen — Correspondence between his lordship and 
the Prince of Denmark — Official letters relative to the 
battle — Account of the Engagement, by a native of Den- 
mark — Armistice — His Lordship follows the Fleet in an 
open Boat — Succeeds to the chief Command — Is elevat- 
ed to the dignity of Viscount — Receives the thanks of 
both houses of Parliament, for his Conduct at the Battle 
of Copenhagen — invests Admiral Graves with the Order 
of the Bath — Resigns the command of the Fleet — Cor- 
respondence with the Swedish Admiral. 

-LiEAViNG Palermo in the company of Sir 
William and Lady Hamilton, the noble admiral 
on the 6th of November, 1800, landed at Yar- 
mouth, after an absence of three years from his 
native land. The moment he stepped on shore, 
the people assembled in crowds to greet the hero, 
and taking the horses from his carriage, drew 
him to the Wrestlers Inn, amidst the loudest ac- 



l60 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

clamations. The mayor and corporation imme- 
diately waited on his lordship, and presented him 
with the freedom of the town, voted him some 
time before for his eminent services. The in- 
fantry in the place paraded before the inn, with 
their regimental band, firing feux de joie of mus- 
ketry and ordnance till midnight. On leaving 
the town, the corps of cavalry unexpectedly drew 
up, and followed the carriage to the boundary of 
the county. On his way to London, his lordship 
called at the house of his father, who had left it 
only a few days before for town, where the noble 
admiral arrived on the 8th. He ahghted at Ne- 
rot's hotel, in King-street, St. James's, where he 
was welcomed with repeated huzzas. 

The 9th being Lord Mayor's day, his lordship 
was invited to the civic feast, and joined the ca- 
valcade in its way to Guildhall. Admiring crowds 
instantly surrounded th^ carriage of his lordship, 
and taking out the horses, drew him to Guildhall 
amidst incessant shouts of applause. All the 
way as he passed he was greeted by the ladies 
from the windows with their handkerchiefs, and 
by the loudest acclamations. A very elegant 
sword, voted to his lordship by the corporation, 
after the battle of Aboukir, was presented to him 
by Mr. Chamberlain Clarke, who thus addressed 
his lordship on the occasion : — 



LOUD NELSON. 



161 



*^ LORD NELSON, 

" In cheerful obedience to an unanimous reso- 
lution of the Right Honorable the Lord Mayor, 
aldermen, and commons of the city of London' 
in common-council assembled, I present your 
lordship with the thanks of the court, for the very 
important victory obtained by a squadron of his 
Majesty's ships under your command, over a su- 
perior French fleet, off the rnouth of the Nile, on 
the 1st of August, 179S ; a victory, splendid and 
decisive, unexampled in naval history, and re- 
flecting the highest honor on the courage and 
abilities of your lordship and your officers, and 
the discipline and irresistible bravery of British 
seamen; and which must be productive of the 
greatest advantages to this country and to every 
part of the civilized world by tending to frustrate 
the designs of our implacable enemy, and by 
rousing other nations to unite and to resist their 
unprincipled ambition. 

" And as a farther testimony of the high es- 
teem which the court entertains of your lordship's 
public services, and of the eminent advantages 
"which you have rendered your country, I have 
the honor to present to your lordship this sword. 

^' The consequences of the action 1 am thus 
called on to applaud are perhaps unequalled in 
the history of mankind ! A numerous army which 
V 



i6q 



PROFESSIONAL LiFE OF 



had triumphed in Europe over brave and veteran 
troops, commanded by officers of the most esta- 
blished reputation, landed in Egypt, under the 
command of him who now sways the Gallic scep- 
tre, with designs of the most ambitious and ex- 
tensive nature. One of their objects, as acknow- 
ledged by themselves was, to annihilate, by de- 
grees, the English East-India trade, and finally, 
to get into their possession the whole commerce 
of Africa and Asia. 

*' Such were the gigantic views of our implaca- 
ble foes, and such confidence had they in the fleet 
which conveyed them, and on the station it took 
on the coast of the devoted country, that it bade 
defiance to the whole navy of Britain. But at 
this momentous period, the Almighty directed 
your lordship, as his chosen instrument, to check 
their pride and crush their force, as a maritime 
power, during the present contest. 

*' The circumstances attending this grand dis- 
play of providential interposition and British 
prowess, must interest the feelings of every En- 
glishman. Had a space been chosen to exhibit 
to the world a struggle for superiority in nautical 
skill and personal valor between the two greatest 
naval powers of the globe, none could have been 
more happily selected. The three grand divi- 
jsions of the ancient world were witnesses, and the 
shores which had beheld the destruction of the 



ii 



LOUD NELSON. l63 

Persian navy by the Greeks and the heroic acts 
of Sesostris, now resounded with the echo of 
British thunder. To your lordship belongs the 
praise of having added glory to such a scene. The 
heroes we applaud would, themselves, have ap- 
plauded us; and he who, ages since, led his 
three hundred against an almost countless host, 
might, on that proud day, have wished himself 
a Briton ! 

** The thanks of your country, my lord, at- 
tend you; its honors await you; but a higher 
praise than even these imply is yours. In the 
moment of your unexampled victory you saved 
your country — in the next moment you did still 
more — you exemplified that virtue which the 
heathen world could not emulate: and in the 
pious No?i 71 obis do mine, of your modest dispatches, 
you have enforced a most important truth — that 
the most independent conqueror felt, in the most 
intoxicating point of time, the influence and pro- 
tection of Him, whom our enemies, to their 
shame and their ruin, had foolishly and impiously 
defied. 

" May the same power, my lord, ever protect 
and reward you ! May it long, very long, spare 
to the empire so illustrious a teacher, and so po- 
tent a champion !" 

To this address Lord Nelson made the foltow- 
ing short, but impressive reply : — 



164 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

^' SIR, 

" It is with the greatest pride and satisfaction 
1 receive from the honorable court this testimony 
of their approbation of my conduct ; and with 
this very sword ^ (holding it up in his left and 
remaining hand) I hope soon to aid in reducing 
our implacable and inveterate enemy to proper 
and due limits — without which this country can 
neither hope for, nor expect, a solid, honorable; 
and permanent peace/' 

Eager to exert himself in the service of his 
country, his lordship delayed not a moment, after 
reaching his native shore, to solicit a re-appoint- 
ment to actual command. His request was im- 
mediately complied with, and the San Josef, of 
1 iO guns, one of the ships he had himself taken 
off Cape St. Vincent, was appointed to receive 
his flag. His friend. Captain Hardy, was nomi- 
nated to command her under his lordship, who, 
on the 1st of January, 1801, was promoted to 
the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Blue. 

The destination of his lordship was, however, 
speedily changed. A league that struck at the 

* This sword of admirable workmanship cost two hun- 
dred guineas. It was richly ornamented, the handle gold, 
with blue enamel, studded with diamonds. The crocodile 
appeared as emblematical of the grand event, and the 
guard was supported by anchors. 



LORD NELSON. l65 

dearest interests of Great Britain bad been con- 
certed between the three powers of the north, 
t Denmark, Sweden, and Russia, v/ho obstinately- 
resisted the right claimed by this country of 
searching neutral vessels. The sovereign of the 
latter had even laid an embargo on all the British 
ships in his ports, whose crews he treated with 
unexampled cruelty. The system adopted by 
the Northern Coalition, as it was denominated, 
loudly called for the active and spirited interpo- 
sition of the British government ; and, accord- 
ingly, a pow^erful armament was fitted out to en- 
force that reason to which a milder conduct could 
not prevail upon these powers to listen. Of this 
armament Lord Nelson was appointed second in 
command,* under Admiral Sir Hyde Parker. 

On the 2d of March his lordship sailed from 
Portsmouth in the St. George, of QS guns, with,, 
a squadron of men of war, fire-ships, and gun- 
vessels, for the Downs, where he took on board 
a great number of fiat-bottomed boats, and seve- 
ral pieces of heavy battering artillery, and then 



* It is said, that when his lordship went to receive his 
last orders previous to sailing, from his old friend and pa- 
tron, the Earl of St. Vincent, then first lord of the Admi- 
ralty, he found tliem contained in one short and emphatic 
sentence, pronounced with the usual energy of that illus- 
trious character : *' Damn it. Nelson, send them to the d«- 
vil vour own way !" 

2 



166 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

proceeded to Yarmouth to join the other ships 
destined for this expedition. Here two compa- 
nies of the rifle-corps, under the orders of Coi. 
Stewart, embarked in the St. George ; besides 
which, the fleet took on board the 49tli regiment, 
commanded by Colonel Brock, and a detachment 
of artillery. 

On the i2th, at day-break, this armament, 
consisting of 17 sail of the line, 4 frigates, 10 
gun-brigs, nearly as many bomb-ketches, and 
other small vessels, making, in the whole, nearly 
50 sail, got under weigh from Yarmouth Roads, 
and on the IQth made the Scaw, which was the 
first general rendezvous of the fleet. Previous to 
passing the Sound, the British admiral once more 
had recourse to negociation wath the Danish mo- 
narch, and during the interval which it occupied, 
an incident occurred, which, though trivial in it- 
self, proves the perfect security in which the 
Danes then thought themselves from any hostile 
attack. An officer of distinction went on board 
the admiral with a verbal answer to one of his 
proposals, and finding some difficulty in express- 
ing with accuracy the sentiments of his court, he 
was requested to communicate them in writing. 
The pen brought for this purpose happening" to 
be ill-pointed, he held it up, and with a sarcastic 
smile observed to those around him : " If your 



LORD NELSON. l67 

guns are not better pointed than your pens, you 
will make little impression on Copenhagen/' 

At day-break on the 26th the fleet got under 
weigh, and stood to the westward, for the purpose 
as it was generally believed at first, of passing 
the Great Belt. On the 28th the order was given 
to prepare for battle, which, as usual, was re- 
ceived with acclamations of joy by the British 
tars, who were now convinced that the passage of 
the Sound was decided upon. Nothing but the 
appointment of a popular leader was now want- 
ing to maintain and to direct to the accomplish- 
ment of an enterprize that spirit of enthusiasm 
which pervaded every bosom; and fortunately 
for the honor of England, this service was allot- 
ted to the hero of the Nile, who had so olten led 
British tars to glory. 

It had long been a received opinion that the 
possession of Cronberg castle gave the Danes 
an uncontrolled command of the passage of the 
Sound. The Danes trusting too much to the 
strength of this fortress and relying on the co-ope- 
ration of the Swedes at Helsingborg, on the oppo- 
site shore, had neglected by floating batteries to 
render the approach of the English fleet more 
difficult. On the morning of the 30th the admi- 
ral made the signal to weigh and to form the or- 
der of battle. The nomination of the conqueror 
of Aboukir to lead the van division was regarded 



168 PKOFESSIONAL LIFE 6F 

as a sure presage of victory, and diffused a spirit 
of confidence and emulation which the name of 
Nelson never failed to excite among British sea- 
men. Sir Hyde Parker, with his division in the 
rear, formed a corps of reserve. Such was the 
alacrity displayed in the execution of the admi- 
ral's orders, that at half-past six, the Monarch, 
which had been appointed to lead the fleet, was 
so far advanced that the enemy commenced a 
heavy fire from the whole range of their posi- 
tions, which was immediately returned by the 
leading ships and by some of those of the centre 
and rear divisions. Nothing contributed so much 
towards the success of the British fleet on that 
day, as the silence of the Swedish batteries, from 
which not a single shot was fired ; and at half- 
past ten every ship had passed the Sound without 
the slightest accident, except the bursting of one 
of the guns of the Isis, by which six or seven of 
her crew were killed and wounded. The shells 
thrown from the bomb-vessels killed \60 people 
on shore at Elsineur. 

The whole fleet soon came to an anchor off Co- 
penhagen, and immediately afterwards Sir Hyde 
Parker, Lord Nelson, Captain Freemantle, Colo- 
nel Stewart and the Captain of the fleet went in a 
lugger to reconnoitre the enemy's force. The 
Danes opened a heavy fire, on them, but they 
persevered in sounding till they were satisfiedj 



LORD NELSON. 1^9 

and then returned to their respective ships. The 
enemy had had abundant time to prepare to give 
their opponents a warm reception. The harbor 
of Copenhagen was covered by a formidable line 
of defence,'consisting of six sail of the line, eleven 
floating batteries, mounting from 26 twenty-four 
pounders to 1 8 eighteen-pounders, one bomb- 
ship and schooner gun vessel. These were sup- 
ported by the Crown islands, mounting 88 pieces 
of cannon, four sail of the line moored across the 
mouth of the harbor, and batteries on the island 
of Amak. 

On the 3 1 st of March the fleet weighed from 
the island of Hven, and stood close in. The po-* 
sition of the enemy was again more minutely 
examined, and it was resolved to make the attack 
from tlie southward. Lord Nelson, who had vo- 
lunteered his services for this purpose, and bad 
shifted his flag on board the Elephant, of 74* 
guns,* issued the following orders for the attack : 

* The ships assigned for this bold eaterprize were the 
following ; — • 

Ships Guns Commanders 

Edgar 74 Capt. George Murray 

Ardent ..••., 64 .... Thomas Bertie 

Bellona 74 Sir T. B Thompson 

Agamemnon ,.64 . ... R. D. Fancourt 

Glatton 64 William Howell 

Isis 50 J.Walker 

E'^p*'-' ''^IcS'.t!"^:!!,''"'''''"'^ 

Ganges .,,^.-74 J. T. Freemantle 

X 



170 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

^^ As Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson cannot with 
precision mark the situation of the different de- 
scriptions of the enemy's floating batteries, and 
smaller vessels lying between their two-decked 
ships and hulks ; the ships which are opposed to 
the floating batteries, &c. &c. will find their sta- 
tions, by observing the stations of the ships to be 
Opposed to the two-decked ships and hulks. 

LINE OF BATTLE.. 

{Edgar x 

Ardent I . , , , / 

Glatton l^'^ to.^^^^ ^^ sue- 

Isis i cession. 

Agamemnon^ 

" The Edgar to anchor a breast of No. 5 (a 
sixty-four-gun ship, hulk). The Ardent to pass 



Ship Guns Commanders 

Monarch ...... 74 R. Mosse 

Tip{\ar^re 74 5 ^^ear-Admiral T. Graves 

•^^^^""^^ ^^l Capt. R. Retalick 

Russel .... 74 ... . W. Cumraing 

Polyphemus .. 64 . J. Sawford 

Desiree 40 .... H. Inman 

Amazon 38 .... Edward Riou 

Blanche - 36 ..-.G.E.Hammond 

Aicmene - 32 . S.Sutton 

Dart SO J, F. Devonshire 

Jamaica 26 .... Jonas Rose 

Arrow 30 .... 

Cruiser ...... 18 .... James Brisbane 

Harpy 18 W. Blrchall 

Zephyr, fire -ship 16 .-.• CI otw. Upton 

Otter, ditto . . . . 14 .... George JVrKinley 



LOED NELSON. 



171 



the Edgar, and anchor abreast of No. G and 7. 
The Glatton to pass the Ardent, and anchor a- 
breast of No. C), (a sixty-four gun ship, hulk). 
The Isis to anchor abreast of No. 2, (a sixty- four 
gun ship, hulk). The Agamemnon to anchor 
abreast of No. I . 



Bellona 

Elephant 

Gauges 

Monarch 

Defiance 

Russel 

Polyphemus 



To take their sta- 
tion and anchor as 

► is prescribed by tlie 
following arrange- 

\ ment. 



Memorandum, No. 1 begins with the eneniy's 
first ship to the southward. 



iVo. 



Itate, 



64 



Supposed No. 
ofg^ins TnoiinU 
ed on one side, 

23 



26 



Stat'w7i of the line as 

they are to anchor 

and engage. 



] 



Isis 



Agamemnon. 
Desiree is to follow 

Agamemnon, and 

rake No. 2. 



■ Low floating bat- *" 
) teries, ship rig- ( 
I ged, ratlser lie i 
within the line. 



' ItishopedtheDesirec's 
fire will not only rake 
No. 1, but also rake 
these two floatingbat- 
teries. Capt. Pvose is 
to place the six gun 
brigs so as to rake 
them also* 



x2 



172 



PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 



No. Rate. 

5 64 

6 5 Pontoon 

7 I Frigate, hulk 

8 ^ Small, no guns 

9 I visible. 

64 

I Ship, gun-boat 

of 22 guns 

Pontoons, or 

I Floating bat. 

74 

14 5 Pontoons or 
1.5 l Floating bat. 



Guns, Station of the Line, 4'C. 

27 Edgar 






Ardent 



! 



16 
17 
18 
19 



64 
64 

64 
64 



30 

11 

12 

9 

36 
12 
12 

30 
SO 
30 

30 



^fiS ^ small ship,sup- } 
I posed a bomb. J 



J Glatton 

( 

C Bellonato give her at- 
< tention to support 
C the Glatton. 

Elephant 

•< Ganges 

Monarch 
Defiance 
Russel 
Polyphemus. 



11 



The six gun-boats Captain Rose is to place 
with the Jamaica, to make a raking fire upon 
No. 3. The gun-boats, it is presumed, may get 
far enough astern of No. 1 , to take Nos. 3 and 4, 
and Captain Rose is to advance with the ships 
and vessels, under his orders, to the northward, 
as he may perceive the British fire to cease where 
he is first stationed. 

" Nos. 1,2, 3, and 4 being subdued, which is 
expected ^to happen at an early period, the Isis 
and Agamemnon are to cut their cables, and im- 
mediately make sail and take their station a-head 
of the Polyphemus, in order to support that part 



LORD NELSON. 173 

of the line. One flat-boat, manned and armed, 
is to remain upon the off side of each line of 
battle ship. The remaining flat-boats, with the 
boats for boarding, which will be sent by Admiral 
Sir Hyde Parker, under the command of the first 
lieutenant of the London, are to keep as near to 
the Elephant as possible, but out of the line of 
fire, and to be ready to receive the directions of 
Lord Nelson. 

" The four launches, w^ith anchors and cables 
which will be sent by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, 
under the command of a lieutenant of the Lon- 
don, to be as near to the Elephant as possible, 
out of the line of fire, ready to receive orders 
from Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson. 

^' The Alcmene, Blanche, Arrow, Dart, Ze- 
phyr and Otter fire-ships, are to proceed under 
the orders of Captain Riou, of the Amazon, to 
perform such service as he is directed by Lord 
' Nelson/' 

Such were the arrangements made by his lord- 
ship, and with how much judgment the success 
amply testified. Had it not been, indeed, for ac- 
cidents which no human prudence could possibly 
foresee, and which prevented its complete execu- 
tion, the result would undoubtedly have been 
still more decisive. On the 2d^ at ten in the 
morning, his lordship, with the van-division of 
the fleet, attacked the enemy's line of defence* 



174 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

According to his directions the Edgar led on, fol- 
lowed by the Ardent, Elephant, Ganges, Mo- 
narch, Bellona, Defiance, Isis, and Glatton. The 
Bellona, Russel, and Polyphemus got aground, all 
the rest anchored as they came up. The re- 
mainder of the fleet under Sir Hyde Parker, 
forming a reserve, got under weigh, to keep the 
Crown Batteries in awe, and to cover such ships 
as might be disabled, but owing to the unfavor- 
able wind and the strong current, it could not 
work up to share in the glory of the day. Aided 
by the nature of the situation, which not only 
deprived the British admiral of the services of 
several of his ships, but exposed them to the 
galling fire of the batteries, the enemy made a 
vigorous resistance, and for four hours main- 
tained one of the most obstinate and bloody en- 
gagements recorded in the annals of naval war- 
fare. Besides their other advantages, the enemy 
possessed that of being able to receive reinforce* 
ments from the shore, and so prodigious was the 
slaughter made among them, that some of their 
ships were said to have been manned twice or 
three times over during the sanguinary conflict. 
Nothing but the enthusiastic impetuosity of Bri- 
tish seamen, conducted by a leader like Lord 
Kelson, could have vanquished such a resistance. 
At two o'clock in the afternoon the fire of the 
Danes slackened, and seventeen of their vessels 



LORD NELSON. 173 

and block-ships were sunk, burnt, or taken. 
Such a decisive victory nothing but the superior 
abilities and bravery of his lordship could have 
achieved ; but, to the laurel of conquest, he now 
added a wreath far more honourable. The whole 
Danish line to the south of the Three Crowns' 
batteries, was either destroyed or in the posses- 
sion of the victors; but still those batteries con- 
tinued firing on the British fleet, and particularly 
annoyed the Bellona and the Isis, which were 
aground. Desirous of preventing the farther effu- 
sion of blood, and saving many valuable lives on 
both sides, the conqueror dispatched a flag of 
truce to the shore, and a note to the foUowinc: 
effect : — 

^' Lord Nelson has directions to spare Den- 
mark when no longer resisting; but if the firing 
is continued en the part of Denmark, Lord Nel- 
son must be obliged to set fire to all the floating- 
batteries he has taken, without having the power 
of saving the brave Danes who have defended 
them. 

" Dated on board his Majesty's ship Elephant, 

Copenhagen Roadsj April 2, 1801. 
(Signed) " NELSON AND BRONTE, 

" Vice-Admiral under command of i\dmir<i 
Sir Hyde Parker. 

*^ To the Brothers of Englishmen, the Danes,'* 



176 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

This note was immediately conveyed to the 
Prince Royal, who dispatched an officer to his 
lordship with this message : 

*' His Royal Highness, the Prince Royal of 
Denmark, has sent me, General Adjutant Lind- 
holm, on board to his Britannic Majesty's Vice- 
Admiral, the Right Hon. Lord Nelson, to ask the 
particular object of sending the flag of truce/^ 

The admiral returned the following answer: — 
*' Lord Nelson's object in sending the flag of 
truce, was, humanity : he therefore consents that 
hostilities shall cease, and that the wounded 
Danes may be taken on shore, and Lord Nelson 
will take his prisoners out of the vessels, and burn 
or carry oft his prizes as he shall think fit. 

" Lord Nelson, with humble duty to his Royal 
Highness the Prince of Denmark, will consider 
this the greatest victory he ever gained, if it may 
be the cause of a happy reconciliation and union 
between his own most gracious Sovereign, and his 
Majesty the King of Denmark. 

(Signed) " NELSON and BRONTE. 

" On board his Majesty's ship Elephant, 
Copenhagen Roads, April, 2, 1301." 

» The truce, so generously offered by his lord- 
ship, was accepted on the part of the Danes ; 
orders were immediately sent to the Crown Bat- 
teries to cease firing, and the conquerors re- 



LORD NELSON. IT? 

mained in quiet possession of eleven of the ene- 
my's ships.* 

The details of this glorious action, as given in 
<iie official letters of Sir Hyde Parker and Lord 
Nelson, are as follow : — 

^' On board the London, Copenbagea 
Roads, April 6, 1801. 

'' Sir, 
" You will be pleased to acquaint the Lords 
Commissioners of the Admiralty, that since my 
letter of the 23d March, no opportunity of 
wind offered for going up the Sound, until the 
^5th, when the wind shifted in a most violent 
squall, from the S. W. to the N. W. and N, and 
blew with such violence and so great a sea, as to 
render it impossible for any ship to have weighed 

* Though we cannot vouch for the authenticity of the 
subjoined anecdote, is is too characteristic to be omitted : — • 

The first article of the truce is said to have related to the 
delivery of a74-gun ship acting as a floating battery, which 
had struck, and afterwards hoisted her colours. The Danish 
officers, in an interview with Lord Nelson, xienied she had 
ever struck. His lordship replied upon his honor she had, 
and added, that if she was not immediately given up, he 
would haul down the flag of truce. The Danish officers 
said, they wished to treat with Lord Nelson in person. "I 
am Lord Nelson," replied the hero, " see, here's my Jin, ^* 
— at the same time throwing aside his green dreadnought, 
shewing the stump of his right arm, and exposing his three 
£tars. T^JDanes immediately gave up the ship. 
Y 



178' FEOrESSlO^^AL LIFE OT 

lier anchor. The wind and sea were even so vio- 
lent as to oblige many ships to let go a second an- 
chor to prevent them from driving, notwithstand- 
ing they were riding with two cables end ; and by 
the morning, the wind veered again to the south- 
ward of the west. On the 301h of last month, 
the wind having come to the northward, we pas- 
sed into the Sound with the fleet, but not before 
1 had assured myself of the hostile intentions of 
the Danes to oppose our passage, as the papers, 
njarked Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, will prove* ; after 
this intercourse there could be no doubt remain- 
ing of their determination to resist. After an- 
choring about five or six miles from the island of 
Huin, 1 reconnoitred with Vice-admiral Lord 

* The papers here alluded to were the following :— 
No. I. 

"London, in the Cattegat, 
27th March, 1801. 

" Feom the hostile transaction of Ihe court of Denmark 
in sending away his Britannic Majesty's Charge d^ Affaires, 
the commander-in-chief of his Majesty's fleet, is anxious to 
tnow what the determination of the Danish court is, and 
■whether the commanding officer of Cronenburg Castle has 
received orders to fire upon the British fleet, as they pass 
into the Sound, as he must deem the firing of the first gun 
a declaration of war on the part of Denmark. 

(Signed) '^ H. PARKER/^ 



LOKD NELSON. 179 

Nelson; and Rear-admiral Graves, the formida- 
ble line of ships, radeaus, pontoons, galleys, fire- 
ships and gun-boats, flanked and supported by ex- 
tensive batteries, on the two islands called the 



Translation of No. II. 
Answer, 

" Cronberg, March 28th. 
"In answer to the admiral's honored letter, I have to 
inform him, that no orders are given to fire on the English 
fleet ; an express is gone to Copenhagen, and should any 
orders be sent, I shall immediately send an officer on board 
to inform the admiral. 

(Signed) '^ STEICKER, Governor.'* 



Translation No. III. 

"Cronberg Castle, 28th March. 
*' In answer to your excellency's letter, which I did not 
receive till the following day, at half-past eight ; I have 
the honor to inform you, that his Majesty, the King of 
Denmark, did not send away the Charge d'Affaires, but 
that upon his own demand he obtained a passport. As a 
soldier I cannot meddle with politics, but I am not at liber- 
ty to suffer a fleet, whose intentions are not yet known, 
to approach the guns of the castle which I have the honor 
to command. In case your excellency should think pro- 
per to make any proposals to his Majesty, the Khig of 
Denmark, I wish to be informed thereof, beforfr the fleet 
approaches nearer to the castle. An explicit answer is de- 
sired, 

(Signed) '^STRICKER." 

Y 2 



ISO PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Crowns, the largest of which, was mounted with 
from fifty to seventy pieces of cannon ; these were 
again commanded by two ships of seventy guns, 
and a large frigate in the inner road of Copenha- 
gen, and two sixty-four gun ships, without masts^ 
were moored on the flat, on the starboard side of 
the entrance into the arsenal. The day after, the 
wind being southerly, we again examined their 
position, and came to the resolution of attacking 
them from the southward. Vice-admiral Lord 
Nelson having offered his services for conducting 
the attack, had, some days before we entered the 
Sound, shifted his flag to the Elephant; and after 

Answer No. IV. 

" On board the London, 29th March, 1801^ 
One A. M. 

*' In answer to your exce!lencj''s note, just now receiv- 
ed, the undersigned has only to reply, that, finding the 
intentions of the court of Denmark to be hostile agains^t 
his Britannic Majesty, he regards the answer as a decla- 
ration of war, and therefore, agreeable to his instructions, 
can no longer refrain from hostilities, however repugnant it 
may be to his feelings } but at the same time will be ready 
to attend to any proposals of the court of Denmark for re- 
storing the former amity and friendship, which had for so 
many years subsisted between the two courts. 

(Signed) '^ H. PARKER*'^ 

'* His Excellency the Governor of 
*' Cronb'^rg Castle.'* 



LORD NELSON. 181 

having examined and buoyed the outer channel 
of the Middle Ground, his lordship proceeded 
with the twelve ships of the line named in the 
margin*, all the frigates, bombs, fire-ships, and 
all the small vessels ; and that evening anchored 
off Draco Point to make his disposition for the 
attack, and wait for the wind to the southward, 
It was agreed between us that the remaining ships 
with me should weigh at the same moment his 
lordship did, and menace the Crown Batteries : 
and the four ships of the line that lay at the en- 
trance of the arsenal, as also to cover our disa- 
bled ships as they came out of action. 

" I have now the honour to inclose a co.py of 
Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson's report to me of the 
action of the 2d instant. His lordship has stated 
so fully the whole of his proceedings on that day, 
as only to leave me the opportunity to testify my 
entire acquiescence and testimony of the bravery 
and intrepidity with which the action was sup- 
ported throughout the line. Was it possible for 
me to add any thing to the well-earned renown 
of Lord- Nelson, it would be by asserting, that 
his exertions, great as they have heretofore been, 
never were carried to a higher pitch of zeal for 

* Elephant, Defiance, Monarch, Bellona, Edgar, 
Russel, Ganges Glatton, his, Agamemnon, Polyphemus^ 
Ardent, 



182 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

his country's service. I have only to lament, 
that the sort of attack, confined within an intri- 
cate and narrow passage, excluded the ships par- 
ticularly under my command, from the opportu- 
nity of exhibiting their valour; bpt I can with 
great truth assert, that the same spirit and zeal 
animated the whole of the fleet, and I trust that 
the contest in which we are engaged, will, on 
some future day, afford them an occasion of 
shewing that the whole were inspired with the 
same spirit, had the field been sufficiently exten- 
sive to have brought it into action. 

*' Jt is with the deepest concern I mention the 
loss of Captains Mosse and Riou, two very brave 
and gallant officers, and whose loss, as I am well 
informed, will be sensibly felt by the families they 
have left behind them; the former a wife and 
children, the latter an aged mother. From the 
known gallantry of Sir Thomas Thompson, on 
former occasions, the naval service will have to 
rej^ret the loss of the future exertions of that 
brave ofhcer, whose leg was shot off. For all 
other particulars, 1 beg leave to refer their lord- 
ships to Captain Otway, who was with Lord Nel- 
son in the latter part of the action, and able to 
answer any questions that may be thought ne- 
cessary to put to him. A return of the killed and 
w^ounded you will receive herewith. I have the 

honor to be, &c. 

^ H. PARKER/' 



LORD NELSON. 183 

^' P. S. The promotions and appointnnents 
that have taken place on this occasion will be 
sent by the next opportunit}* that offers ; but I 
caimot close this without acquainting their lord- 
ships that Captain Mosse, being killed very early 
in the action, Lieutenant John Yelland continued 
it with the greatest spirit and good conduct ; I 
must, therefore, in justice to his merit, beg leave 
to recommend him to their lordships' favour, 

" Evan NepcciD, Esq." 

The letter of the noble admiral to the com- 
mander-in-chief, giving the details of this glorious 
victory, was as follows :* 

* The reader will not be displeased to jBnd here the 
official account of the engagement transmitted to his royal 
highness the Crown Prince by the Danish commander-in- 
chief, Olfert -Fischer : 

" On the 1st of April, at>iialf-past threein the afternoon, 
two divisions of the English fleet, under the command of 
Vice-Admiral Lor4 Nelson, and a rear-admiral, weighed 
anchor and stood eastward and by south of the middle pas- 
sage of the road, where they anchored. This force con- 
sisted of twelve ships of the line an<3 several large frigates, 
gun-boats, and other smaller vessels, in all thirty-one sail. 

" On the 2d of April, at three quarters-past nine in the 
morning, the wind S. E. both the vessels to the south, and 
those to the north of the Middle Road, weighed anchor, 
the ships of the line and heavy frigates, under Lord Nel- 
son, steered for the Konigstiefe, to take their station in 
t»rder along the line of defence confided to me. The gun- 



184 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

^' Elephant, off Copenhagen, 
'^ 3d April, 1801e 

'' Sir, 

** In obedience to your directions to report the 
proceedings of the squadron named in the mar- 
boats and small vessels took their station nearer to the town, 
and the division of Admiral Parker, consisting of eight ships 
i)f the line and some small vessels, steered with a press of 
«ail southwards, to the right wing of defence. 

" At half past ten the foremost ships of Admiral Nel- 
5on^s division passed the southernmost ships of the line of 
defence. I gave those ships that were within shot the sig- 
lial for hattle. The block-shi])S, Provesteen and Vagrien> 
and immediately after these the Jutland, between which 
and the block-ship, Dannebrog, the leading English ship 
(of 74 guns) fixed her station, by throwing out one of her 
rear-anchors, obeyed the signal by a well-directed and 
well-supported fire. By degrees the rest of the ships 
came up, and as they sailed past on both sides of the ships 
already at anchor, they formed a thick line, which, as it 
stretched northwards to the ship of the line, the Zealand, 
engaged not more than two-thirds of the line of defence 
committed to me ; while the Three Crowns batter^^, and 
the block-ships. Elephant and Mars, with the frigate HieU 
peren, did not come at all into the action. 

*' In half an hour the battle was general. Ten ships of 
the line, among which was one of 80 guns, the rest chief- 
ly seventy-fours, and from six to eight frigates, on the 
one side; on the other, seven block-ships, of -which only 
X)ne of seventy-four guns, the rest of sixty-four and under 
two frigates and six small vessels. This was the respective 
strength of the two parties. The enemy had oa the whole 

6 



LORD NELSON. 185 

gin, (Elephant, Deiiance, Monarch, Bellona, Ed- 
gar, Russel, Ganges, Glatton, Isis, Agamemnon, 

two ships to one, and the block-ship, Provesteen, had, be- 
sides a ship of the line and the rear-admiral, two frigate* 
against her, by which she was raked the whole time 
without being able to return a shot. 

" If I only recapitulate, historically, what your high- 
ness, and along with you a great portion of the citizens of 
Denmark and Europe liave seen, I may venture to call 
that an unequal combat, which was maintained and Sirp> 
ported for four hours and a half, with unexampled courage 
and effect, in which the fire of the superior force was so 
much weakened for an hour before the end of the battle 
that several English ships, and particularly Lord Nelson's 
were obliged to fire only single shots ; that this hero him- 
self, in the middle and very heat of the battle, sent a flag of 
truce onshore, to propose a cessation 'of hostilities; if I 
add, that it was announced to me that two English ships of 
the line had struck, but being supported by the assistance 
of fresh ships, again hoisted their flags ; I may, in such 
circumstances, be permitted to say, and, I believe, I may 
appeal to the enemy's own confession, that in this engage- 
ment, Denmark's ancient naval reputation blazed forth with 
such incredible splendour, that, I thank heaven, all Europe 
are the witnesses of it. 

*' Yet the scale, if not equal, did not decline far to the 
disadvantage of Denmark. The ships that were first and 
most obstinately attacked, even surrounded, by the enemy, 
the incomparable Provesteen, fought till almost all her 
guns were dismounted. But these vessels were obliged to 
give way to superior force, and the Danish fire ceased 
along the whole line, from north to south. 

" At half past eleven the Dannebrog, ship of the line^ 
z 



186 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Polyphemus, Ardent, Amazon, Desiree, Blanche, 
Alcmene; sloops, Dart, Arrow, Cruizer, and Har- 

which lay alongside Admiral Nelson, was set on fire. I 
repaired with mj flag on board the Holstein, of the line, 
belonging to the north wing. But the Dannebrog long 
kept her flag flying in spite of this disaster. At the end of 
the battle she had two hundred and seventy men killed and 
wounded. 

" At half-past two the Holstein was so shattered, and 
had so many killed and wounded, and so mar.y guns dis- 
mounted, that I then carried the pennant to be hoisted 
instead of my flag, and went on shore to the battery of 
the Three Crowns from which I commanded the north 
wing, which was slightly engaged with the division of Ad- 
miral Parker, till about four o'clock, when I received or- 
ders from your Royal Highness to put an end to the en- 
gagement. 

*' Thus the quarter of the line of defence from the Three 
Crowns to the frigate Hielperen was in the power of the 
enemy, and the Hielperen thus finding herself alone, slip- 
ped her cables, and steered to Sterbfen. The ship Elven 
after she had received many shots in her hull, and had her 
masts and rigging shot away, and a great number killed 
and wounded, retreated within the Crowns. The gun-boats 
Nyborg and Aggershuus, which last towed the former 
away, when near sinking, ran ashore ; and the Grenier 
floatincr-battery, which had suffered much, together with 
the block-ship, Dannebrog, shortly after the battle blew up. 

** Besides the visible loss the enemy have suffered, I am 
convinced their loss in killed and wounded is considerable 
The advantage the enemy have gained by their victory too ' 
consists merely in ships which are not fit for use, in spiked 
tannon, and in gunpowder damaged by sea- water. 



LORD NELSON. 187 

py ; fire-ships, Zephyr and Otter; bombs, Discove- 
ry, Sulphur, Hecla, Explosion, Zebra, Terror, and 
Volcano,) which you did me the honour to place 
under my command, I beg leave to inform you^ 
that having, by the assistance of that able officer 
Captain Riou, and the unremitting exertions of 
Captain Brisbane, and the masters of the Ama- 
zon and Cruiser in particular, buoyed the Chan- 
nel of the Outer Deep, and the position of the 
Middle Ground, the squadron passed in safety,. 
and anchored off Draco the evening of the first; 
and that yesterday morning 1 made the signal for 
the squadron to weigh and to engage the Danish 
line, consisting of six sail of the line, eleven float- 
ing batteries, mounting from 26 twenty-four- 
pounders to ] 8 eighteen-pounders, and one bomb- 
ship, besides schooner gun-vessels. These were 

" The number of killed and wounded cannot yet be ex- 
actly ascertained ; but I calculate it from 16 to 1800 men. 
Among the former it is with grief that I mention the cap- 
tains of the block-ship Infodsretten, and the frigate Cron- 
berg, Captain Tliura, and first lieutenant Hauch, with 
several other brave officers ; among the wounded, the com- 
mander of the Dannebrog, who, besides other wounds, has 
loiit his right hand. 

" I want expressions to do justice to the unexampled 
courage of the officers and crews. The battle itself caa 
alone enable you to form an idea of it, 

(Signed) Olfert Fischer. 

z 2 



.188 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

supported by the Crown Islands, mounting eighty 
eight cannon, and four sail of the line moored 
in the harbour's mouth, and some batteries on 
the island of Amak. The bomb-vessels and 
schooner made their escape, the other seventeen 
sail are sunk, burnt, or taken, being the whole of 
the Danish line to the southward of the Crown 
Islands, after a battle of four hours. 

*' From the very intricate navigation, the Bel- 
lona and Russel unfortunately grounded, but 
although not in the situation assigned them, yet 
so placed as to be of great service. The Aga- 
memnon could not weather the shoal of the Mid- 
dle, and was obliged to anchor ; but not the 
smallest blame can be attached to Captain Fan- 
court ; it was an event to which all the ships 
ware liable. These accidents prevented the ex- 
tension of our line by the three ships before-men- 
tioned, who would, I am confident, have silenced 
the Crown Islands, the two other ships in the 
harbour's mouth, and prevented the heavy loss 
in the Defiance and Monarchy and which, unhap- 
pily, threw the gallant and good Captain Riou, 
(to whom I had given the command of the fri- 
gates and sloops named in tha margin,* to assist 
in the attack of the ships at the harbour's mouth) 
under a very heavy fire ; the consequence has 

^ * Blanche, Alcmene, Dart, Arrow, Zephyr, and O ter. 



LORD NELSON. 189 

been the death of Captain Riou,* and many brave 
officers and men in the frigates and sloops. The 
bombs were directed and took their stations 
abreast of the Elephant, and threw some shells 
into the arsenal. Captain Rose, who volunteered 
his services to direct the gun-brigs, did every 
thing that was possible to get them forward, but 
the current was too strong for them to be of ser- 
vice during the action ; but not the less merit is 
due to Captain Rose, and I believe all the offi- 
cers and crews of the gun-brigs, for their exer- 
tions. The boats of those ships of the fleet which 
were not ordered on the attack, afforded us every 
assistance, and the officers and men wlio were in 

* The name of Captain Edward Riou is well known, on 
account of his wonderful preservation when commander of 
the Guardian, which struck on an island of ice, on her 
passage to Botany Bay, in the year 1789. He was ap- 
pointed post-captain in 1794, and was ordered to the West 
Lidies in the Beaulieu, of 40 guns. Ill health, ha\^ing the 
following year, compelled him to return to Europe, he re- 
ceived an appointment to the Princess Augusta yacht, and 
afterwards, in July, 1799, to the Amazon of 58 guns, in 
■^hicli he fell. He was killed by a chain shot from the 
Crown battery, when in the act of cheering his men, eight 
of whom had the moment before been killed by a single 
shot. There were no fewer than eighty pieces of cannon 
playing at one time on the Amazon from that batter}^ In 
gratitude for a life spent and sacrificed in the service of 
his country, parliament decreed that a monument should 
be erected to his memory in the cathedral of St. Paul. 



190 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

them merit my warmest approbation. The De- 
siree took her station in raking the southernmost 
Danish ship of the line, and performed the 
greatest service. 

<' The action began at five minutes past ten. 
The van, led by Captain George Murray, of the 
Edgar, "^ was as well followed up by every cap- 
tain, officer, and man in the squadron. It is my 
duty to state to you the high and distinguished 
merit and gallantry of Rear- Admiral Graves. To 
Captain Foley, who permitted me the honor of 
hoisting my flag in the Elephant, 1 feel under the 
greatest obhgations ; his advice was necessary on 
many important occasions during the battle.f I 

* Captain George Murray, who commanded the Edgar, 
was captain of the Colossus of 74 guns in Earl St. Vincent's, 
engagement with the Spanish fleet ou the 14th of February, 
1797. On his return, in the same ship, with a convoy 
from Lisbon in December, 1791, the Colossus was drivea 
upon the rocks near the island of Scilly, and totally lost. 
In the summer of 1800 he surveyed the entrance to the 
Baltic with a degree of accuracy which had never before 
been attempted, and on this occasion he had offered his 
services to lead the British fleet through the Great Belt, if 
the admiral thought proper to attempt a passage that way. 

t In the operations against Corsica, Captain Foley com- 
manded the St. George, of 98 guns, the flag-ship of Rear- 
Admiral Gell. In Lord St. Vincent's victory he likewise 
bore a distinguished part, as he commanded the Britannia 
of 100 guns, which ship bore the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir 
Charles Thompson. His conduct in the battle of the Nil* : 
has already been recorded. 



LORD NELSON. 191 

beg leave to express how much I feel indebted to 
every captain, officer, and man, for their zeal and 
distinguished bravery on this occasion. The ho- 
norable Colonel Stewart did me the favor to be 
on board the Elephant, and himself, with every 
other officer and soldier under his orders, shared, 
with pleasure, the toils and the dangers of the 
day. The loss in such a battle has necessarily 
been very heavy. Amongst many other brave 
officers and men who were killed, I have, with 
sorrow, to place the name of Captain Mosse*, 
of the Monarch, who has left a wife and six chil- 
dren to lament his loss ; and among the wounded 
that of Captain Sir Thomas B. Thompson,f of 
the Bellona. I havethe honor to be, &c. 

" NELSON AND BRONTE." 

* Captain Mosse was an excellent officer. He com- 
manded the Sandwich, at the Nore, at the time when the 
alarming mutiny broke out in that ship, in the year 1797. 
— A handsome monument was voted by parliament, to bo 
erected to his memory in St. Paul's cathedral, and a 
pension was granted by the government to his widow. Du- 
ring the action in which he fell, his ship, the Monarch, 
having by some means got foul of the rigging of the Ganges, 
one of the seamen, who had been employed in clearing 
them, finding himself on board the Ganges, jumped over- 
board, and swam towards the Monarch, swearing he would 
never desert his ship. A boat immediately put off and 
saved the poor fellow's life. 

+ Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, whose conduct at 
the attack on Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe^ ia 



19^ PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

List of the Killed and Wounded in the Attack on the Danish 
Line of Defence, Batteries, fefc. on the ^d of April. 

Edgar — 24 seamen, 2 marines, 3 soldiers of the 49th 
regiment killed ; 79 seamen, 17 marines, 8 soldiers of the 
49th regiment wounded. Total 133. 

MjOnarch — 35 seamen, 12 marines, 8 soldiers of the 
49th regiment killed ; 101 seamen, 34 marines, 20 soldiers 
of the 49th regiment wounded. Total 210. 

Bellona — 9 seamen, 2 marines killed 3 48 seamen, 10 
marines, 5 soldiers wounded. Total 74. 

Defiance — 17 seamen, 3 marines, 2 soldiers, killed; 
S5 seamen, 5 miirines, 7 soldiers wounded. Total 69, 

Isis — 22 seamen, 4 marines, 2 soldiers of the rifle corps 
killed; 69 seamen, 13 marines, 2 soldiers of the rifle corps 
wounded. Total 112 

Amazon — 10 seamen, 1 marine killed; 7 seamen, 2 
marines wounded. Total 32. 

Glatton — 17 killed, 34 wounded. Total 51. 

Desiree — 3 wounded. 

Blanche — 6 seamen, one marine killed; 7 seamen, 2 
marines wounded. Total 16. 

Polyphemus — 4 seamen, 1 marine killed; 20 seamen, 
4 marines wounded. Total 29. 

the battle of the Nile, and in the defence of his ship Ihe 
Leander against the Genereux, has already been recorded, 
received the honour of knighthood soon after his arrival in 
England, in 1798. His services were likewise rewarded 
with a pension of 300/. per annum, which, after the loss of 
his leg in the battle of Copenhagen, was raised to 500^ 
He likewise enjoys the command of the Mar}^, yacht, 
stationed at Deptford. Since his retirement from the active 
duties of his profession, this gallant oflicer has resided on 
a farm of considerable extent nearBush^'^ Park, engaged in 
the humble toils of agricultural pursuits. 



LORD NELSON. 193 

Elephant — 4 seamen, 3 marines, 1 soldier of the rifle 
corps, killed ; 8 seamen, 1 marine, 2 soldiers of the rifle 
corps wounded. Total 19. 

Alcmene — 5 seamen killed; 12 seamen, 2 marines, 
wounded — Total 19. 

Dart — 2 killed, 1 wounded. Total S. 

Ganges — 5 killed ; 1 missing. Total 6. 

RussEL — 5 seamen, 1 marine wounded. Total 6. 

Ardent — ^9 seamen and marines killed; 64 seamen 
and marines wounded. Total 93. 

Officers killed, 
Edgar — Edmund Johnson, first lieutenant; Lieut. Ben- 
jamin Spencer, marines. 

Defiance — George Gray, lieutenant; Matthew Cobb 
pilot. 

Elephant — Capt. James Bawden of the Cornish mi- 
ners, volunteer in the rifle corps; Mr. Henry Yaulden 
master's mate. 

Polyphemus — Mr. Daniel Lamond, master; Mr. Henry 
Long, lieutenant of the marines ; Mr. George JM'Kinlaj 
IMr. Thomas Ham, midshipmen; Mr. Grant, lieutenant of 
the rifle corps. 

Ganges — Mr. Robert Stewart, master 
Dart — Mr. Edwin Sandys, lieutenant. 
Glatton — Mr. Alexander Nicholson, pilot. 
Monarch — Captain Robert Mosse. 
Amazon — Captain Edward Riou; Hon. George Tucket, 
midshipman : Mr. Jos. Rose, captain's clerk. 
Ardent — Mr. George Hoare, midshipman. 

Officers wounded. 

Tdgar — Joshua Johnson, second lieutenant; William 
Goldfinch, fifth lieutenant; Mr. Gahagan, Mr. Whimper, 
Mr. Ridge, Mr. Prootor, Mr. Domett, midshipmen, slightly. 

2 A 



194 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Defiance — Mr. Paterson, boatswain ; Mr. Gallaway, 
midshipman • Mr. Niblet, captain's clerk, Mr. Stephenson 
pilot. 

Elephant — Mr. Robert GilL midshipman of the St. 
George; Mr. Hugh Mitchell^ midshipman. 

Alcmene — Mr. Henry Baker, acting third lieutenant; 
Mr. Charles Meredith, lieutenant of the marines; Mr. 
Charles Church, boatswain; Mr. G. A. Spearing, master's 
mate ; Mr. Pratt, pilot. 

Polyphemus — Mr. Edward Burr, boatswain. 

Desiree — Mr. King, lieutenant, slightl}^ 

Isis — Mr. Richard Cormack, lieutenant; Mr. Reuben 
Pain, Mr. Simon Frazer, Mr. Charles Jones, midshipmen. 

Ganges — Mr. Isaac Davis, pilot, badly. 

Glatton — Mr. Tindal, lieutenant; Mr. Robert Thomp- 
son, master's mate ; Mr. John Williams, midshipman. 

Monarch — Mr. William Minchin, lieutenant; Mr. 
James Marrie, lieutenant of marines; Mr. James Dennis, 
lieutenant of the 49th regiment; Mr. Henry Swim.mer, 
Mr. W. J. Bowes, Mr. Thomas Harlowe, Mr. George Mor- 
gan, Mr. Philip Le Vesconte, midshipmen ; Mr. W^illiam 
Joy, boatswain. 

Bellona — Sir T. B. Thompson, captain, lost his leg ; 
Mr. Thomas Southej^, lieutenant; Mr. Thomas Wilks 
lieutenant, slightly ; Capt. Alexander Sharp, of the 49th 
regiment, badly ; Mr. James Eraraerton, master'^ mate, 
Mr. Anderson, Mr. Edward Daubeny, Mr. William Sitford, 
Mr. Fig, midshipmen. 

Amazon — Mr. James Harry, Mr. Philip Horn, master's 
mates. 

The folIowiDg list of the naval force composing 
the Danish line of defence, with remarks, extract- 
ed from a pamphlet published in the English lan- 
guage at Copenhagen soon after the action. 



/ 



LORD NELSON, 



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196 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

The Force remaining in the Road to defend the Harbour mi" 
the Orders of Chamberlain Stein Bilk. 

Elephanten, block -ship. Captain Von Thura, No. 19, 
*70 Guns. 

Mars, biock-sliip. Captain Gyldeufeldt, No. 20, 64 guns. 

Dannemark, ship of the line, Chamberlain Stein Bille, 
No. 21, 74 guns. 

Trekroner, ship of the line. Captain Riegelster;, No. 22, 
*/4 guns. 

Iris, frigate. Captain W. Braun, No. 23, 40 guns. 

Sarpen, and Nidelben, brigs, of 18 guns each. 

Twelve chebecks, each of two 24-pounders. — Two ditto, 
12-pounders. — The great Trekroner battery of thirty 24, 
pounders. — Ditto^ thirty-eight 36-pounders. — Ditto, one 
96-pound carronades. 

Provided with three furnaces to heat balls. 
Such was the result of a day in which the 
prudence and humanity of Lord Nelson shone 
with a brilliancy not inferior to his courage and 
intrepidity. He is said to have himself acknow- 
ledged to Colonel Lindholm, that notwithstanding 
the many obstinate conflicts in which he had 
been engaged, he had seen nothing that equalled 
the resistance of the Danes, and was confident 
the French would not have withstood for one 
hour the fire to which his countrymen had ex- 
posed themselves, without flinching, for four. 

The following circumstantial account of this 
splendid victory, by a native of Denmark, who 
was a spectator of the engagement from the shore> 
is too interestino; not to be introduced in this 







7^ ^ 



A/ ■:< 



iL 



'X 
X 



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;/ i' 



LOPwD NELSON. 197 

place. It commences with the passage of the 
Sound. 

'^ On the morning of March the 30th, about 
seven o'clock, the thundering peals of Cronberg, 
put an end to suspense. Very shortly after we 
could discern the fleet, which approached rapidly. 
The tremendous cannonading from the fojt gave 
us an idea of what it might effect, if it could 
r.each its object. His Majesty of Sweden, (who 
observed the passage of the fleet from Helsing- 
borg) appeared sensible of this; and, after the 
cannonading had ceased, dispatched an officer to 
compliment the governor of Cronberg. 

" As ihe gale was blowing fresh, the British 
soon advanced within seven or eight miles of the 
city, where they came to an anchor. A frigate, a 
lugger, and a brig, got rather nearer; but the bat- 
tery of the Three Crowns, and the fire from the 
block-ships, compelled them to retire. The mag- 
nificence of this spectacle naturally left various 
impressions on our minds ; but whether favorable 
or unfavorable, they were soon forgotten in the 
enthusiasm and unanimity which prevailed among 
all classes. The question was not, TFIio is the 
Enemy ? but. Where is the Enemy ? It was a 
moment of impending danger: the duty w^e owed 
our country, therefore, inspired us with only one 
sentiment. The noble spirit displayed by the 
students at the siege in 1 658-60^ was equally con- 



198 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

spicuous in their successors; who, with one hand 
and one heart, associated themselves into a corps 
of twelve hundred; while those sons of the Muses 
whom age and infirmity prevented from rallying 
round the standard of patriotism, did all in their 
power to encourage and confirm so laudable an 
effort. Chamberlain Lindenkrone sent a thousand 
dollars to the aid of those students whose private 
means were unequal to the expence of their pub- 
lic duties. 

" The first and second days passed quietly 
over; but on the morning of April the 1st, we 
could perceive an unusual bustle among the Eng- 
lish shipping. Some frigates and lighter vessels 
got under weigh, and were employed in sounding. 
Towards evening, twelve sail of the line, all the 
frigates, and most of the smaller vessels, weighed, 
and with a northern breeze, passed through the 
Hollander Deep. Admiral Parker, with eight 
sail of the line and two small vessels, preserved 
his station, while Admiral Nelson anchored, with 
his division, beyond the fire of our outermost 
ships. 

" Conjecture was now at an end. A change 
of wind to the southward would enable Lord Nel- 
son to bear down with his division ; and we an- 
xiously awaited the awful moment. Our ships 
were moored with four anchors, and manned, in- 
discriminately, by people of all descriptions, has- 



LORD ISELSON. 199 

tily collected for the present emergency : they 
had been constantly on the alert during the two 
former nights, a third was now added to their fa- 
tigue ; and when it is considered, that these peo- 
ple were unacquainted with the exercise of great 
guns ; that they were all day employed in prac- 
tising, and all night in watching, the compliment 
paid them by Mr. Bardenfleth, first lieutenant on 
board the Charlotte Amelia, in his professional 
account of the battle, will not be deemed super- 
fluous. He says, * The spirit which animated 
all hands on board, and not their real strength, 
enabled them to perform what they did.' 

" The morning of April 2d dawned, and the 
■ wind blowing southerly, our commodore made a 
signal for the whole line to lay their broadside to 
the enemy. Between nine and ten both divisions 
of the British weighed, and our^commodore hoist- 
ed the flag of defiance from the Danbrog. Ad- 
miral Parker, with the zeal that is characteristic 
of a British seaman, beat up against wind and 
current, towards the battery of the Three Crowns, 
proposing to awe our ships in the inner roads, 
while the hero of the Nile bore right down upon 
our line, 

" The Edgar led the British van, advancing in 
a most gallant style against the Proevesteen, 58 
guns, which opened her fire on the former five 



20O PHOFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

minutes after ten. The Vagrien, 50 guns, then 
poured in a broadside just as the Edgar was upon 
the tack to take her station ; a second broadside 
was discharged froni the Proevesteen, when the 
whole of the British line gained rapidly on ours : 
in a few minutes two-third parts of our ships were 
in action. As our line was not broken, only one 
half of the force on either side was consequently 
engaged. 

'' Our foremost ship, the Proevesteen, was ex- 
posed, during the whole of the action, to the fire 
of the Polyphemus, of 64 guns, the Pvussel, and 
the Eellona, which two latter ships ran aground 
at the commencement of the battle; but this 
misfortune (as Lord Nelson observed) did not 
impede their service. The Proevesteen was, at 
the same time, raked by La Desiree, of 40 guns, 
and a gun-brig. Great as was the dislinctiou, 
w^iich Commodore Fischer, in his report, confer- 
red on the Proevesteen and her gallant Captain 
Lassen, ' notwithstanding my high sense of Da- 
nish bravery, it was heightened by the conduct 
of the Proevesteen, which continued to fight till 
all her guns were dismounted,' the compliment 
of Lord Nelson is, in my opinion, greater. — 
(' Nos. i, 2, 3, and 4, being ^uhdwe(\^ -which is 
expected to happen at an early period, the Isis and 
Againem.non are to cut their cables, and imme- 



LORD NELSON. 201 

diately make sail and take their station ahead of 
the Polyphemus, in order to support that part of 
the line/) 

" Captain Rusbrigh stood, on this occasion, as 
undaunted on the quarter-deck of the Vagrien, 
as when a lieutenant, on board the Formidable, 
under the gallant Rodney, on the 12th of April, 
17S2. — For England he assisted to acquire glory 
and success ; for Denmark he obtained only the 
former, 

** Soon after eleven o'clock, the Danbrog, G-i 
guns, Captain Braun, took fire, which compelled 
Commodore Fischer to shift his broad pendant to 
the Holstein ; but Braun continued to fight her 
till he lost his right hand. Captain Lemning suc- 
ceeded in the command ; and although the flames 
blazed around them, threatening immediate de- 
struction, the Danbrog maintained her fire, till 
the close of the engagement, against her powerful 
adversary, the Glatton, which mounted 6S-pound 
carronades on her lower deck. 

" When Commodore Fischer, famed for the 
coolness and perspicuity of his judgment m the 
hour of trial, left the Danbrog, the battle raged 
with the utmost fury. The British, finding that 
our foremost ships were far from slackening their 
fire, now extended their line, and at noon ail our 
ships, as well as the battery, were strenuously en- 
gaged in the awful contest. 
2 b 



S02 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

*' Captain Thura, of the Infoedsretten, 64 guns, 
fell at the beginning of the action; and all the 
subaltern officers were either killed or wounded, 
except a lieutenant and a marine officer. In this 
state of confusion, the colors were, by accident, 
struck. The British, however, made no attempt 
to board the Infoedsretten, she being rather dan- 
gerously moored athwart our battery. A boat 
was dis])atched from the ship to carry the tidings 
of her commander's death to the Prince Royal, 
who had, from the dawn of day, taken his station 
upon a battery. Here, amid showers of shells 
and cannon-balls, Frederic the wise, the good? 
and the brave, superintended calmly and actively, 
for the assistance of the ships engaged. By shew- 
ing how a prince ought to meet danger, he taught 
ethers to despise it. 

" When the prince received the message from 
-the Infoedsretten, he turned round, and with an 
air that gave confidence to all about him, said : 
* Gentlemen, Thura is killed ; who of you will 
take the command?' — ' I will/ replied M. 
Schroedersee, in a feeble voice, and hastened 
eagerly on board. This gentleman had been a 
captain in the navy; but on account of ill health 
bad lately resigned. The hour of necessity seem- 
ed to invigorate bis wasted form, and in hopes to 
»erve his country, he forgot his want of strength. 
*' The crew, .seeing a new commander coming 



XOKD NELSON. 203 

'Silong-side, hoisted their colors, and fired a broad- 
side. When he came on deck, he found great 
numbers killed and wounded, and therefore in- 
stantly called to those that had rowed him, to 
get quickly on board. It was his last effort, a 
ball struck him, and Schroedersee was no more ! 
Mr. Nissen, a lieutenant in the navy, who attend- 
ed this gallant tar to bis noble fate, next took the 
command, and continued to fight the ship for tha 
remainder of the day. 

" The engagement had now. lasted upwards of 
three hours without a glimpse of victory on either 
side. A determined perseverance appeared to in^ 
flame both parties. Our line stedfastly preserved 
its original position, and every ship maintained 
her station except the Rendsborg praam, which 
drove ashore, her cables having been shot away 
at the commencement of the attack; and the 
Hven, a repeating sloop of war, which had sheer-* 
ed off a little after twelve, her masts being very 
materially damaged. When the British fleet flrst 
bore down upon us, the eleven gun-boats retired, 
" About two o'clock the fire from the respec- 
tive fleets abated considerably, and our ships ap- 
peared very much disabled. The damage sus* 
tained by the British vv^as apparently trivial, from 
our ships having constantly directed their fire at 
the enemy's hull. This was undoubtedly the 
slowest method of disabling an adversary ; yet it 
2 5 2 



204 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

was the surest, and certainly is, at all events, 
preferable to chance. Considering the exposed 
situation of our men on board, it was a matter of 
real surprise, that so few comparatively, suffered 
from the immense quantity of shot which had 
been poured upon them. Had every ball that 
struck our masts, wounded our hulls, there would, 
in all probtibility, have been no prisoners of war. 

** At two o'clock, the Nyborg praam, having 
ber main and mizen-masts, bowsprit, and fore- 
top-mast, shot away, and the captain, perceiving 
her almost ready to sink, ordered the cables to be 
cut, and the fore-sail to be set, that they might 
steer for the inner road. As he passed the line, 
he descried the Aggershuus, a vessel of the same 
description as his own, in the most miserable 
plight, her masts having all gone by the board, 
and the hull on the eve of sinking. Captain Rothe 
shewed himself a true seaman, who not only 
meets his own danger, but also cheerfully shares 
in that of others. Having made fast a cable 
from his stern to the stern of the Aggershuus, ha 
towed her off, and thus obtained as glorious a 
triumph as if he had come in with an enemy's 
ship. 

" Soon after two o'clock. Commodore Fischer 
removed his broad pendant from the Holstein to 
the battery of the Three Crowns, whence he com- 
manded during the latter part of the engageiueat. 



LORD NELSON. 205 

At this moment, Lieutenant Lillienskiold find- 
ing his ship, the Hielperen, surrounded by a su- 
perior force, cut his cables and brought her safe 
into the inner roads. Mr. LiUienskiold was no 
stranger to the business of the day ; he had, in 
the year 1799? fought in the West Indies with 
a privateer ; and both contended so obstinately 
that they were obliged to separate for want of 
powder. 

^' Last, though not least, is Mr. Viilemoes, a 
second lieutenant, who commanded the floating 
battery, No. L Much has been said about his 
skill in manoeuvring his raft, which consisted 
merely of a number of beams nailed together : 
on them a flooring was laid to support the guns. 
It was square with a breast-work, full of port-holes 
and without masts. I shall not take upon myself 
to argue how far it were possible to manage such 
a log ; but merely say, the manner in which Ville^ 
moes manoeuvred his guns, and ultimately saved 
his raft, attracted the notice of Lord Nelson, 
whose ship lay for some time opposite the floats 
ing battery. That admiral, is said, in the hand- 
somest manner to have noticed to the PrincQ 
Royal how much the country, on future occa- 
sions, might fairly expect from the abilities of 
young Viilemoes. This trait of his lordship, I 
consider as a never-fading flower, in the wrq^th 



t05 PROFESSIONAL LIFE O^ 

which military talents and success have twined 
around his brow."^ ^ jp.Oftir 

" At half past two, our lire had nearly: sub- 
sided ; but the Jutland, the last ship that re- 
turned the enemy's shot, was still engaged, as was 
the Proevesteen. However the Three Crowns had 
just opened its batteries with a dreadful effect, 
when the white flag was unfurled from Lord Nel- 
son's main-top. An English boat, with a flag of 
truce, came alongside the Elephanten, the captain 
of which sent an oflicer in his boat to accompany 
it on shore. The battery, in the mean time, kept 
up a heavy cannonade, as did the Elephanten. 
As the wind had been south south-west, south 
and south-east, the whole day, Admiral Parker's 
division advanced but very little; insomuch that 

* *' Lord Nelson," says Mr. Carr, '^ spoke in raptures 
of the bravery of the Danes, and particularly requested the 
prince to introduce him to a very young officer, whom he 
described as having performed wonders during the battle, 
by attacking his own ship immediately under her lower 
guns. It happened to be the gallant young Villemoes, a 
stripling of seventeen : the British hero embraced him with 
the enthusiasm of a brother, and delicately intimated to the 
prince, that he ought to make him an admiral, to which the 
prince very happily replied : " If, my lord, I were to make 
all my brave officers admirals, I should have no captaifi$ or 
Jieutenauts in my service/' 



LORD NELSON. 207 

k broadside from the Ramilies, a 74, (his fore- 
most ship) fell very short of the battery. 

" The flag of truce having delivered a dispatch 
to the Prince Royal, returned ; and soon after- 
wards orders were sent to the commander of the 
battery to cease firing; their guns had, in the 
meantime, been pointed with the utmost effect on 
the Monarch and the Ganges, which ships were 
aukwardly situated on the shoal of the battery. 
Two flags were then dispatched from shore to ad- 
mirals Parker and Nelson ; while the British took 
possession of eleven of our ships. 

" In the course of the afternoon Admiral Nel- 
son came in his barge into the inner roads, and 
went on board the Denmark, where he partook of 
some refreshment, and then proceeded ashore. 
On his landing he was received by the people 
neither with acclamations, nor with murmurs ; 
they did not degrade themselves with the former 
nor disgrace themselves with the latter. The ad- 
miral was received, as one brave enemy ever 
ought to receive another — he was received with 
respect. A carriage was provided for his lord- 
ship, which he, however, dechned, and walked 
amidst an immense crowd of persons, anxious to 
catch a glimpse of the British hero, to the palace 
of the Prince Royal.* After dinner, the admiral 

* Mr. Carr, in his Northern Summer, gives an account 
pf his lordship's reception^ which differs a little from tli» 



208 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OT 

was introduced to the Prince, and the negociation 
commenced. The next day his lordship came 
again on shore and dined with the Prince Royal, 
as he did frequently, till the ninth of April, when 
the armistice w^as finally concluded. 

" In one of his visits to Copenhagen, Lord 
Nelson inspected our Naval Academy, to which 
he, in a manner highly honorable to himself and 
to us, presented some gold medals of value to be 
distributed among the most skilful of the mid- 
shipmen.'* 



above statement. " Upon his arrival at the quay," says 
that traveller, " he found a carriage which had been sent 
for him by Mr. D., a merchant of high respectability^, the 
confusion being too great to enable the prince to send one 
of the royal carriages. The gallant admiral proceeded to 
the palace in the Octagon, through crowds of people whose 
fury was rising to phrenzy, and amongst whom his person 
was in more imminent danger than even from the cannon of 
the block-ships ; but nothing could shake the soul of such a 
man. Arrived at the palace in the Octagon, he calmly 
descended from the carriage, amidst the murmurs and 
groans of the enraged concourse, which not even the pre- 
sence of the Danish officers, who accompanied him, could 
restrain. The crown prince received him in the hall, and 
conducted him up stairs, and presented him to the king. 
The objects of this impressive interview were soon adjusted 
to the perfect satisfaction of Lord Nelson and his applaud- 
ing country ; that done, he assumed the gaiety and good 
humour of a visitor^ and partook of some refreshments with 
the crown prince," 



I 



LORD NELSON. £09 

The negociation commenced by bis lordship 
immediately after the battle of Copenhagen, ter- 
minated, as has been observed in the preceding 
extract, in an armistice concluded on the ninth 
of April. The terms of this armistice, in which 
Lord Nelson was the principal agent on the part 
of his Britannic Majesty, were as follow : — 

" The Danish government on the one hand, 
end Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, Knight, com- 
mander-in-chief of his Britannic Majesty's naval 
forces in the road of Copenhagen on the other, 
being from motives of humanity, equally anxious 
to put a stop to the farther effusion of blood, and 
to save the city of Copenhagen, from the disas- 
trous consequences which may attend a farther 
prosecution of hostilities against that cUy, have 
mutually agreed upon a military armistice or 
suspension of arms. 

*' His Danish Majesty having, for that purpose, 
appointed Major-general Ernest Frederic Wal- 
terstorf, Camberlain to his Danish Majesty, and 
colonel of a regiment and x^djutant-general Hans 
Lindholm, captain in his Danish Majesty's navy, 
his commissioners for agreeing about the terras 
of the said armistice, and Admiral Sir Hyde Par- 
ker, Knight, having with the same view duly au- 
thorized the Right Honorable Lord Nelson of the 
Kile, Knight of the most honorable Order of the 
Bath, Duke of Bronte in Sicily, Knight of the 
2 c 



£10 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Grand Cross of the Orders of St. Ferdinand and 
of Merit, and of the Imperial Order of the Cres- 
cent, Vice-admiral in the fleet of his Britannic 
Majesty, and the Honorable William Stewart, 
Lieutenant-colonel in his Britannic Majesty's ser- 
vice, and Member of Parliament, and command- 
ing a detachment of his Britannic Majesty's forces, 
embarked : these said commissioners have met 
this day, and having exchanged their respective 
powers have agreed upon the following terms : — 

*' Art. 1. From the moment of the signature 
of this armistice, all hostilities shall immediately 
cease between the fleet, under the command of 
Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, and the city of Co- 
penhagen, and all the armed ships and vessels of 
his Danish Majesty, in the road or harbor of that 
city, as likewise between the different islands and 
provinces of Denmark, Jutland included. 

" Art.H. The armed ships and vessels belong- 
ing to his Danish Majesty shall remain in their 
present actual situation as to armament, equip- 
ment, and hostile position ; and the treaty com- 
monly understood as the treaty of armed neutra- 
lity, shall as far as relates to the co-operation of 
Denmark, be suspended, while the armistice re- 
mains in force. 

*' On the other side, the armed ships and vessels 
under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Par- 
ker, shall, in no manner whatsoever, molest the 



LORD NELSON. 211 

city of Copenhagen, or his Danish Majesty's arm- 
ed ships and vessels on the coasts of the different 
islands and provinces of Denmark, Jutland in- 
cluded ; and in order to avoid every thing which 
might otherwise create uneasiness or jealousy, 
Sir Hyde Parker, shall not suffer any of the ships 
or vessels under his command to approach within 
gun-shot of the armed ships or forts of his Danish 
Majesty in the road of Copenhagen : this restric- 
tion shall not, however, extend to vessels neces- 
sarily passing, or re-passing through the Caspar 
or King^s Channel. 

Art. III. This armistice is to protect the city 
of Copenhagen, as also the coasts of Denmark, 
of Jutland, and the islands included, against the 
attack of any other naval forct which his Britan- 
nic Majesty may now, or hereafter, during its 
remaining in force, have in these seas. 

" Art. IV. The fleet of Admiral Sir Hyde 
Parker shall be permitted to provide itself at Co- 
penhagen, and along the coasts of the different 
islands and provinces of Denmark, and Jutland 
included, with every thing which it may require 
for the health and comfort of the crews. 

*' Art. V. Adm. Sir Hyde Parker shall send 
on shore all such subjects of his Danish Majesty 
as are now on board the British fleet under his 
command, the Danish government engaging to 
give an acknowledgment for them, as also for ^1 
2 c 2 



Cil2 PROFESSIONAL LIFE Of 

8iich wounded as were permitted to be lauded 
after the action of the 2d iust. in order that they 
may be accounted for in favor of Great Britain 
in the unfortunate event of the renewal of hosti- 
lities. 

" Art. VI. The coasting-trade carried on hy 
Denmark, along all such parts of her coast as 
are included in the operation of this armistice, 
shall be unmolested by any British ships or ves- 
sels whatever, and instructions given accordingly 
by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker.^ 

" Art. VII. This armistice is to continue unin- 
terrupted by the contracting parties for the space 
of fourteen weeks from the signature hereof, at 
the expiration of which time it shall be in the 
power of either of the said parties to declare a 
cessation of the same, and to recommence hosti- 
lities upon giving fourteen days previous notice. 

*' The conditions of this armistice are, upon 
all occasions, to be explained in the most liberal 
and loyal manner, so as to remove all grounds 
for farther disputes, and facilitate the means of 
brincring about the restoration of harmony and 
good understanding between the two kingdoms, 

*' In faith, whereof we, the undersigned com- 
missioners, in virtue of our full powers, have 
signed the present armistice, and have affixed to 
it the seal of our arms. 

*' Done on board his Britannic Majesty's ship 



I 



LOKB NELSON. €13 

London, in Copenhagen-Roads, April the 9thy 
1801. 

{(L. S.) NELSON AND BBONTE. 

(L. S.) WM. STEWART. 

(L.S.) ERN.FRED. WALTERSTORF. 

(L. S.) HANS LINDHOLM. 



** In pursuance of my abovementioned autho- 
rity I ratify this document with my hand, 
(L.S.) FREDERIC. 
Ratified by me (L. S.) HYDE PARKER, 

Admiral and Commander in Chief of hir 
Britannic Majesty's Fleet." 

The valor and the prudence of his lordship 
having thus eminently contributed to oblige one 
of the members of the Northern Confederacy to 
renounce the system which those powers had 
adopted, Admiral Sir Hyde Parker proceeded to 
accomplish the rest of his instructions, leaving 
Lord Nelson in the St. George, to follow, with 
the disabled ships, as soon as their damages 
could be repaired. The captured vessels were so 
terribly cut up, that it was found necessary to 
destroy them all excepting the Holstein, of 64 
guns, which was fitted up as an hospital ship for 
the reception of the sick and wounded. 

The British fleet now proceeded into the Bal- 
tic ; their passage through the narrow channel 
between the island of Amak and Saltholm, called 
the Grounds, was attended with considerable 
3 



214 PEOFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

difficulty. Most of the ships touched, and two 
or three ran aground ; but, at length, all of 
them got through in safety, to the astonishment 
of Danes, Swedes, Russians, and Prussians, who 
could scarcely believe the evidence of their sen- 
ses, in beholding such a fleet as was never before 
seen in those seas, succeed in entering the Baltic 
by such a route. 

After the success at Copenhagen, the next im- 
mediate object of attack was the Russian fleet at 
Revel. Hearing, however, that a Swedish squad- 
ron was at sea, with the intention of forming a 
junction with the Russian fleet. Sir Hyde Parker 
shaped his course toward the northern extremity 
of the island of Bornholm, where he was led to 
expect a meeting with the Swedish squadron. 
I'he Swedish ships were actually there, but on 
the approach of the British fleet they crowded 
all the sail they could carry, and saved them- 
selves behind the forts, which are situated on 
small islands that command all the entrances into 
Carlscrona. 

On the 18th of April the St. George got her 
guns on board an American ship, for the purpose 
of passing over the Grounds, and following Sir 
Hyde Parker : but the wind proving foul pre- 
vented her from moving. At six, the same even- 
ing, Lord Nelson received advice, by letter from 
the commander-in-chief, that the Swedish squa- 



LORD NELSON. 215 

dron had been seen by the look-oat frigates. The 
moment he had read this account he ordered a 
boat to be manned, and jumping into her, he 
ordered her to put off after the fleet with all pos- 
sible expedition. Such was his eagerness to join 
the squadron, that he set out without even wait- 
ing for a boat-cloak, notwithstanding the incle- 
mency of the weather, and though he had to row 
twenty-four miles against the wind and current. 
His anxiety in the boat, for nearly six hours, lest 
the fleet should have sailed before he got on 
board, and lest it should not catch the Swedish 
squadron, can only be conceived by those who 
have enjoyed opportunities of personally observ- 
ing the unbounded zeal of this truly great man. 
The cold was excessive, and the master of the 
Bellona, whom he had ordered to accompany 
him, having a great coat along with him in the 
boat, requested his lordship to put it on. " No,^» 
replied the hero, " I am not cold ; my anxiety 
fc>r my country will keep me warm.'' *^ Do you 
think the fleet has sailed ?'' said he a moment af- 
terwards to the same officer. " I should suppose 
not, my lord/' *^ If they are we shall follow them 
to Carlscrona in the boat, by God !" The idea of 
going the distance of fifty leagues in a small boat 
rowing six oars, without the least food or suste- 
nance of any kind, evinces how entirely every 
Other earthly consideration was banished from 



^l6 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

his mind by the solicitude to serve his country. 
About midnight the boat reached the fleet, and 
his lordship |went on board the Elephant, com- 
manded by his old friend and companion, Capt. 
Foley. 

On the/ipth the whole fleet was in fullchace; 
and at noon nine Swedish men of war were des- 
cried, moored at the entrance of tlie harbor of. 
Carlscrona. This position Admiral Parker de- 
termined to attack, but first dispatched the Dart 
sloop, with a flag of truce to the Swedish admi- 
ral, acquainting him with the accommodation of 
the dispute with Denmark, and requesting to be 
informed of the line of conduct which the court 
of Sweden intended to adopt. The Dart returned 
in about three hours with a provisionary answer 
from Vice-Admiral Cronstadt : and on the 28d 
his Swedish Majesty arrived at Carlscrona, and 
signified to the British commander-in-chief, that, 
though he was resolved to adhere to the northern 
confederacy, he was, nevertheless, willing to 
listen to any equitable proposals that might be 
made by England for the adjustment of the ex- 
isting differences. 

Having assured himself of the pacific disposi- 
tion of the Swedish monarch, Sir Hyde Parker 
was preparing to bear away for the gulph of Fin- 
land, when a lugger arrived in the fleet under a 
press of sail from Copenhagen. She brought dis- 



LORD NELSON. 217 

patches from the Russian ambassador at that 
city to the admiral. They contained overtures 
from the Emperor Alexander (who after the sud- 
den death of his father had ascended the throne 
of Russia) of such an amicable and conciliatory 
nature, as to put an end to all the operations 
of the EngHsh squadron, which immediately re- 
turned to Kioge Bay. 

Here Sir Hyde Parker left the fleet, and sailed 
in the Blanche frigate for England. * The chief 



* Sir Hyde Parker served with great distinction during 
the American war, on the coast of that continent, as com- 
mander of the Phojnix, of 44 guns, in which he was in im- 
minent danger of destruction, when she was wrecked, in the 
year 1779, off the island of Cuba. A highly animated ac- 
count of this misfortune was given by his first lieutenant, 
Mr. Archer, in a letter to his mother in England. The 
whole of the crew, excepting about twenty, were savcit. 
Sir Hyde was then appointed to the Latona, of 38 guns, in 
which he sailed with the squadron under the command of 
his father, and was present at the engagement with thf* 
Dutch fleet off the Dogger Bank. Soon after this event he 
-was promoted to the Goliath, a new ship of 74 guns, in 
which he joined the Channel fleet. He was afterwards sent 
out with the squadron dispatched for the relief of Gibraltar, 
and had the honorable post of leader to the van of the Bri- 
tish fleet in the skirmish which took place on that occasion. 
After the peace of 17S3, the Goliath was stationed at 
Portsmouth as a guard-ship. In 1787, when a rupture with 
France was apprehended, on account of the affairs of Hol- 
land, Sir Hjde was appointed to the Orion, but as tht 
2 D 



1 



£18 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

command consequently devolved on Lord Nel- 
son, who, on the J 9th of May, was advanced to 
the dignity of Viscount of the United Kingdom 
of Great Britain and Ireland, The thanks of 
both houses of parliament had previously been 
\oted 10 his lordship, and in a manner than which 
nothing could have been more grateful to his feel- 
ings. The motions of thanks were made in both 
houses on the l6th of April. In the House of 
Lords the Earl of St. Vincent declared, *' that 
the conduct of the officers engaged in this expe- 
dition far surpassed any thing that was to be 
found in the glorious annals of the British navy/' 
The Duke of Clarence highly complimented Lord 
Nelson on his courage and intrepidity, which for- 

alarm soon subsided, that ship was immediately put out of 
commission, and her commander once more retired into 
private life. On the commencement of the war with France 
in 1793, Sir Hyde was advanced to the rank of a flag^ 
officer, and served in the Mediterranean as first captain to 
Lord Hood, and afterwards to Lord Hothara. In 1794, 
having attained to.the rank of vice-admiral of the blue, he 
hoisted his flag on board the St. George, of 98 guns, and 
commanded a division of the fleet in the actions, under 
Lord Hotham, with the French. In 1796 he was ap- 
pointed to the chief command on the Jamaica station, 
where he remained three years, and on his return received 
an appointment in the Channel fleet. The expedition to 
Copenhagen was the last public service in which Sir Hyde 
Parker was engaged. 



i 



LORD NELSON. 219 

tune seemed to back in every enterprize in which 
he was engaged : and acknowledged his personal 
olDligations, as a prince of the blood, to the gal- 
lant commanders, and to the whole fleet, for 
the accomplishment of a victory, which, proba- 
bly, in its effect, would restore the possessions 
on the continent to his family, together with the 
peace and security of the British empire and of 
Europe. Lord Hood could not content himself 
with giving a silent vote ; because he had been 
personally convinced, while he had the honor of 
having those two illustrious officers (Lord Nelson 
and Sir Hyde Parker) serving under him, that it 
was impossible there could be two more coura- 
geous and able commanders, or who were more 
zealous in their country's cause. 

The tribute paid to his lordship's talents in the 
house of commons was not less flattering. Mr. 
Addington, who moved the thanks of the house, 
declared that *' no action had taken place in the 
course of the war which contributed more to sus- 
tain the character, and to add to the lustre of the 
'British arms. For its execution, Sir Hyde Parker, 
Lord Nelson, and Rear- Admiral Graves, three 
most distinguished officers had been selected ; 
and thus prepared, the armament proceeded to 
"the north. To enter into all the particulars of 
'the service was unnecessary; it was sufficient, 
therefore, to say, that the fleet, after passing the 
2 D 2 



2Q>0 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Sound, advanced to Copenhagen, Such was the 
situation of the enem/s force, that all our ships 
could not possibly be engaged. In these circum- 
stances Sir Hyde Parker had, with a degree of 
judgment which refracted the highest credit on his 
choice, appointed Lord Nelson, whose name had 
already been covered with glory and renown, 
to the execution of the important enterprize. 
Great, however, as was the courage, the skill, 
and the success, which had formerly been dis- 
played by this illustrious commander at Aboukir, 
it was not greater than that which had been ex- 
hibited in the attack upon the fleet moored for 
the defence of Copenhagen. But this was not all. 
After the line of defence was destroyed, and 
while a tremendous fire was still continued. Lord 
Nelson retired to his cabin, and addressed a let- 
ter to the Prince Royal of Denmark. He thea 
asked that a flag of truce might be permitted to 
land, adding, at the same time, that if this was 
denied, he must be obliged to demolish the float- 
ing-batteries that were in his power ; and that, in 
such case, he could not answer for the lives of 
the brave men by whom they had been defended. 
To the answer which required to know the mo- 
tive of such a measure, his reply was — ^^that his 
only motive was humanity ; that his wish was to 
prevent the farther effusion of blood ; and that 
no victory which he could possibly gain would af- 
1 



LORD NELSON. £21 

ford him so much pleasure as would result from 
his being the instrument of restoring the amica- 
ble intercourse which had so long existed be- 
tween his sovereign and the government of Den- 
mark. Lord Nelson, in consequence, went on 
shore, and was received by a brave and generous 
people — for brave they had shewn themselves in 
their defence, and generous in the oblivion of their 
loss — with the loudest and most general acclama- 
tions."^ The Prince Royal of Denmark had also 
received his lordship in a manner conformable to 
his high character. The negociations which en- 
sued between them, it would be highly improper 
for him; at that time, to state ; but this he must 
observe, that Lord Nelson had shewn himself as 
wise as he was brave, and proved that, in the 
same person may be united the talents of the 
warrior and the statesman. The manner in which 
he spoke of Admiral Graves, Colonel Stewart^ 
and the rest of the officers who had co-operated 
with him, shewed the kindness of his nature and 
the gallantry of his spirit. He gave, in fact, due 
j)raise for their good conduct to all.'* 

* - No man, indeed, was ever more ready to be- 
stow commendation on desert tlian Lord Nelson, 
and it may be fairly presumed that his lordship 

• t * If the preceding statements be correct, Mr. Adding- 
tou must have been misinformed on this particular. 



©22 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

derived particular satisfaction from a part he bad 
to perform in his quality of commander-in-chief, 
while the fleet lay in Kioge Bay. The king hav- 
ing been pleased to reward the services of Admi- 
ral Graves with the Order of the Bath, the cere- 
mony of investing him with the ensigns of that 
order took place on the 14th of June, on board 
Lord Nelson's ship, the St. George. A chair was 
placed on the gratings of the sky-light on the 
quarter-deck, with the royal standard suspended 
over it, shewing the king's arms ; the chair was 
covered with the union flag; a guard was ranged 
on each side of the quarter-deck, and the captains 
of the fleet attended in their full-dress uniforms. 
The royal standard was hoisted the moment the 
procession began, which took place in the follow- 
ing order : Lord Nelson came up the ladder in 
the fore-part of the quarter-deck and made three 
reverences to the throne, after which he placed 
himself on the right side of it. Captain Parker, 
bearing the sword of state, (being that which 
was presented to his lordship by the captains who 
fought under his command at the battle of the 
Nile,) followed Lord Nelson, and placed himself 
on his right side, a little in advance, making 
three reverences to the throne, and one to his 
lordship. Mr. Waliis, his lordship's ^secretary, 
followed, bearing in his hand, on a satin cushion, 
the ensigns of the order, making similar reve- 



tORD NELSON. £23 

i:ences to the throne and to Lord Nelson ; Cap- 
tain Parker then read the Duke of Portland's 
order lo his lordship, which beuig ended, Rear- 
admiral Graves was introduced between Captains 
Hardy and Retalick, making three reverences to 
the throne and one to Lord Nelson. The rear- 
admiral knelt down, and Lord Nelson, in the 
name of his xMajesty, laid the sword on the 
shoulders of the rear-admiral ; the knight-elect 
then rose, and his lordship, with the assistance 
of Captains Hardy and Retalick, put the ribbon 
over the new knight's right shoulder, and placed 
the star on his left breast. Lord Nelson then ad- 
dressed him in the following words : 

'' Sir Thomas Graves-- Having fulfilled the 
commands of his Majesty, in investing you with 
the ensigns of the most honourable and military 
order of the Bath, 1 cannot but express how much 
I feel gratified, that it should have fallen to my 
lot to be directed to confer this justly merited 
honour and special mark of royal favour upon 
you ; for I cafinot but reflect, that I was an eye- 
witness of your high merit and distinguished gal- 
lantry on the memorable 2d of April, and for 
which you are now so honorably rewarded. I 
iiope these honors conferjed upon you, will 
prove to the officers of the service, that a strict 
perseverance in the pursuit of glorious actions, 
and the imitation of your brave and laudable 



^24 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

conduct, will ever insure them the favors and 
reward of our most gracious sovereign, and the 
thanks and gratitude of our country/'* 



* Among the names which hold a distinguished place 
irt the annals of the British navy, that of Graves cannot be 
mentioned without respect. Sir Thomas is allied to the 
noble family of that name, and commenced his naval ca- 
reer under his uncle, Admiral Samuel Graves, and then 
served in the Antelope under Captain (afterwards Lord) 
Graves, at that time governor of Newfoundland. In the 
year 1765, he accompanied that officer to Africa, as lieute- 
nant of the Shannon. When Lord MuJgrave was prepa- 
ring for his expedition to the North Pole, he selected 
Mr. Graves to be one of the lieutenants of his own ship, the 
Kacehorse, and in that perilous voyage he strongly recom- 
mended himself to his commander by his firmness and intre- 
pidity. In the American war, Mr. Graves w^as actively 
employed on the coast of that continent under his relation 
the admiral, and afterwards under Admiral Arbuthnot, 
who, in 1781, promoted him to be post-captain of the Bed- 
ford. In this ship he was present at the actions with Count 
de Grasse, off the Chesapeak ; in Basse Terre Road, St. 
Kitt's ; and in the memorable engagement of the l!^th of 
April, 1782, oif Guadaloupe. On the two latter occasions 
the Bedford carried the broad pendant of Admiral Affleck. 
Ill the autumn of 1782, Captain Graves took the command 
of the Magicienne frigate of 32 guns. In this vessel he fell 
in with the Sybiile, a French frigate of 40 guns, and a 
small ship of 24, with which he fought one of the most de- 
sperate actions that occurred during the whole of th.e Ame- 
rican contest ; and nothing but the loss of all his masts 
prevented Captain Graves from making prizes of his two 



LORD NELSON. 225 

When his lordship had finished this speech, the 
procession retired in the same manner as it came, 
excepting the new knight, who went first, making 
one reverence to Lord Nelson and three to the 
throne. The moment the ribbon was put on, the 
v/hole fleet fired a salute of twenty-one guns, and 
when the ceremony was finished, the standard 
was hauled down. 

Not many days after the performance of this 
pleasing duty, his lordship communicated to the 
fleet the necessity he was under of resigning the 
command, in the following memorandum. 

" St. George, Kioge Bay, Jane 18, 1801. 

*' Lord Nelson has been obhged, from the late 
very bad state of his health, to apply to the lords 

opponents. Notwithstanding all the applications of Cap- 
tain Graves to be employed during the late war, he was 
unable to procure an appointment till the month of Octo- 
ber, 1801, when he received the command of the Cumber- 
land, of 74 guns, and proceeded to join the fleet off Brest. 
On the great proraotion which took place on the 1st of 
January, 1801, Mr. Graves was raised to the rank of Admi- 
ral of the White, and in March hoisted his flag on board 
the Polyphemus, of 64 guns, with which he was ordered to 
join the fleet destined for the Baltic, under Sir Hyde Par- 
ker. He soon afterwards shifted kis flag into the Defiance, 
in which he so nobly seconded Lord Nelson at the battle of 
Copenhagen. His conduct on that occasion, and the re- 
wards bestowed upon him for his services, are described 
above Since the commencement of hostilities, in 1803, Sir 
Thomas has held a command in the Fleet before Brest> in 
the Foudroyant. 



226 PROFESSIOJ^AL LIFE OF 

commissioners of the admiralty for leave to re- 
turn to England, which their lordships have been 
pleased to comply with. But Lord Nelson cannot 
allow himself to leave the fleet without express- 
ing to the admirals, captains, officers, and men, 
how sensibly he has felt, and does feel, all their 
kindness to him, and also how nobly and honour- 
ably they have supported him in the hour of bat- 
tle, and the readiness they have shewn to main- 
tain the honour of their king and country, on 
many occasions which have offered ; and had 
more opportunities presented themselves, Lord 
Nelson is perfectly persuaded they would have 
added more glory to their country. Lord Nelson 
cannot but observe, with the highest satisfaction 
which can fill the breast of a British admiral, that 
(with the exception of the glaring misconduct 
of the officers of the Tigress and Cracker gun- 
brigs, and the charges alledged against the lieu- 
tenant of the Terror bomb,) out of 18,000 of 
which the fleet is composed, not a complaint has 
been made of any officer or man in it; and he 
cannot but remark, that the extraordinary health 
of this fleet, under the blessing of Almighty God, 
is to be attributed to the great regularity^ exact 
discipline, and cheerful obedience of every indi- 
vidual of the fleet. The vice-admiral assures 
them, that he will not fail to represent to the 
lords commissioners of the admiralty their highly 



LORD NELSON. 227 

praiseworthy conduct ; and if it pleases God that 
the vice-adn^iral recovers his health, he will fee 
proud, on some future day, to go with them iu 
pursuit of farther glory, and to assist in making 
the name of our king beloved and respected by 
all the world. 

'^ BRONTE AND NELSON 
" To the respective admirals, captains, &c." 

Havii3g accordingly resigned the command to 
Vice- Admiral Pole, his lordship went on board 
the Kite brig, and proceeded to England. 

While Lord Nelson held the chief command of 
the fleet iu the Baltic, several leUers passed be- 
tween him and the Swedish Admiral Cronstadt, 
relative to the subject of dispute between the two 
countries. A copy of this correspondence, which 
cannot prove wholly uninteresting, is subjoined. 



*' Letter from Admiral Lord Nelson to Vice-Admiral 
Cronstadt, Commander-in-chief of the Swedish Fleet, 
received at Carlscrona by a Flag of Truce, on the 
loth of May, 1801. 

" sm, 
*^ The former commander-in-chief of the Bri- 
tish fleet in the Baltic, having, at the request of 
the emperor of Russia, consented not to interrupt 
the Swedish navigation, it would be extremely 
unpleasant to me should any thing happen which 
2 E 2 



fl28 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

might for a moment disturb the returning har- 
mony and friendship between Sweden and Great 
Britain. Your excellency must therefore permit 
me to inform you, that I am not directed to ab- 
stain from hostihties should I meet with the 
Swedish fleet at sea. As it is therefore in your 
power to prevent this, 1 am convinced that you 
will consider this intimation as a friendly mea- 
sure on my part, and communicate the same to 
his Swedish majesty. I intreat your excelleacy 
to believe that I am, with the utmost respect, 
'' Your most obedient servant, 

" NELSON AND BRONTE. 
'' On board the Prince George^ in the Baltic.'^ 

The following answer was x'eturned by Vice- 
Admiral Cronstadt : 

" ADMIRAL, 

'^ I HAVE had the honor to receive the letter 
of your excellency of the 8th instant, and have 
transmitted it to the king my master, who is gone 
from hence to Stockholm; when 1 shall receive 
his answer, I will do myself the honor to forward 
it to you immediately. 

" C. O. CRONSTADT. 
" Admiral and Commander-in-chief 
• of the Fleet at Carlscrona. 
*' Carlscrona^, May 10, 1801." 



LORD NELSONr £29 

^* Letter from Admiral Nelson to Admiral Cronstadt, 
Commander-in-chief of the Swedish Fleet, received at 
Carlscrona, the 24th of May, 1801. 

'' St. George, at Sea, May 23, 1801. 
" SIR, 
" In the correspondence which your excellency 
had with the late commander-in-chief of the Bri- 
tish fleet in the Baltic, who notified to you that 
the Swedish trade in the Cattegat and the Baltic 
should not be molested by British cruizers ; I find 
no counter-declaration to the same tenor on the 
part of Sweden. I must therefore request of your 
excellency an explicit declaration, that the trade 
of Great Britain in the Cattegat and the Baltic 
shall in no manner be molested by Sweden. Your 
excellency will perceive the necessity of such a 
reciprocal declaration. 

" I am, with the utmost respect, 
'^ Your excellency's most humble servant, 
'' NELSON AND BRONTE." 



To this the Swedish commander returned the 
following answer : 

*' ADMIRAL, 

*^ I HAVE to-day had the honour to receive the 
letter of your excellency of the 23d instant. As 
my instructions do not permit me to issue my 
orders relative to the conduct to be pursued with 



2oO PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

respect to the trade of Great Britain, 1 shall 
transmit the letter of your excellency to the king 
my master ; and when 1 receive the commands of 
his majesty on the subject, shall immediately 
have the honor to communicate to you an official 
answer. 

" I remain, with the utmost respect, 

" CRONSTADT/' 

An extra post from Stockholm, of the 20th^ 
however, bringing the royal ordinance relative to 
the English trade, the cutter Hoff was immedi- 
ately dispatched with a flag of truce, and the fol- 
lowing letter : 

" Carlscrona, May 24. 

<^ ADMIRAL LORD NELSON, 

** I HAVE this moment received the orders of 
the king my master, for taking off the embargo 
of the trade and navigation to England, a copy of 
which I herewith transmit to your excellency, as 
your excellency in your excellency's letter of yes- 
terday requested it of me, and as 1 am now ena- 
bled, according to my promise, to return you an 

official answer. I am, &c. 

"CRONSTADT." 



" Letter from Vice-Admiral Cronstadt to Lord Nel on. 
"Carlscrona, June 7, 1801. 
** ADMIRAL, 

" With the most gracious approbation of the 
kina mv master, I have the honor to signify to 
5 



LORD NELSON. 231 

your excellency, that, according to the latest ac- 
counts from St. Petersburgh, his excellency Lord 
St. Helen's has arrived there, and that the pre- 
sent difference will soon be adjusted in an equi- 
table and pacific manner. I am hereby afforded 
a new opportunity of assuring your excellency of 
my sincere and high esteem. 

- CRONSTADT, 
His Majesty's adjutant on board the fleet, 
and commander at Carlscrona. 

Vice-Admiral Pole, who had succeeded Lord 
Nelson as commander of the English fleet in the 
Baltic, returned to this letter the following an- 
swer : 

'' On board his Britannic Majesty's ship the St. 
George, in Kioge Ba^^ June 22, 1801. 

*^ ADMIRAL 

" I THIS morning received your letter of the 
17th. On this occasion I cannot but lament that 
I do not understand the Swedish language, and 
especially, as I am consequently in doubt whether 
your letter has been rightly translated to me. 1 
am, however, sufiicientiy acquainted with its con- 
tents, to entreat you to assure his Swedish ma- 
jesty, in my name, that I acknowledge with the 
greatest pleasure his gracious condescension, in 
informing me that Lord St. Helen's is arrived at 
St. Petersburgh, and that it may be expected that 
the negociations carrying on there will soon be 



232 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

concluded on the most friendly, equitable, and 
durable conditions, as is the wish of the King my 
master, and his whole kingdom. On my arrival 
here, on the 1 8th inst. Lord Nelson returned to 
England. The state of his health renders it ne- 
cessary that he should retire from the service for 
a time. I entreat you, admiral, to accept my 
sincere wish that a perfect amity may soon be re- 
stored between the two nations which we have the 
honor to serve, and to permit me to assure you 
of the high esteem with which 
*' I am, &c. 

" CHAKLES POLE, 
" Vice-admiral and Commander-in-chief of his 
Britannic Majesty's fleet in the Baltic.'* 



^ORD NELSON. 233 



CHJP. ri. 



1801. 

Arrival of Lord Nelson in England— He is appointed to a 
command in the Cliannel— First attack on the shipping at 
Boulogne — His address on the occasion — Official details 
relative to the second attack at Boulogne — Preliminariei 
of peace — Heraldic particular!. 

On the 1st of July, 1801, his lordship arrived 
at Yarmouth, and immediately on landing pro- 
ceeded to the hospital, to visit the sick and wound- 
ed who had fought under his command before 
Copenhagen. He then set out on his way to 
London, and was accompanied by a troop of ca- 
valry as far as Lowestoffe. 

Just at this period the immense preparations 
which were making along the whole coast of 
France, rendered it probable that the invasion, 
with which that country had so long menaced the 
British shore, was on the eve of being attempted, 
Jn this state of public affairs, it could not be ima- 
gined that Lord Nelson would remain inactive, 
2r 



€34 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

A very few days after his arrival, he was ap- 
pointed to the command of the Channel, from 
Portsmouth to the Streights of Dover, and up to 
the northern extremity of the island, and was in- 
vested with extraordinary and extensive powers. 
A squadron of . sixteen frigates, together with all 
the gun-boats and small craft within that range^ 
were placed under his orders; and in considera- 
tion of the inconvenience to which his lordship 
was exposed by the loss of his arm, he was allowed 
by the admiralty the unprecedented indulgence of 
having three aides-de-camp. 

The French had assembled at Boulogne a vast 
number of gun-boats, and other small vessels^ 
preparatory to their threatened invasion ; and it 
was to this point that the attention of government 
was directed in the, appointment of Lord Nelson 
to this command. The attack of an enemy in his 
own ports was perfectly familiar to his lordship^ 
and they knew that if any officer in the British 
navy could make a successful attempt on the flo- 
tilla in the harbor of Boulogne, it must be the 
hero who had so recently triumphed in the road 
of Copenhagen, 

No sooner had he received his appointment, 
than he hoisted his flag on board theTJnite fri- 
gate at Sheerness, and hastened to the station as-* 
signed him. Instead of taking the usual course 
to the Nore, he chose to cross the Naze, whicii 
6 



lORD NELSON. 23J 

iad always been considered unnavigable for ships 
of war, and to which, from this circumstance, was 
given the name of Nelson's Channel, He immedi- 
ately proceeded off Boulogne, and on the morn- 
ing of the 4th of August, perceiving a favorable 
opportunity for annoying the enemy's shipping, 
he directed an attack to be made on them by the 
bomb-vessels. The result is thus stated, in a 
letter addressed to Evan Nepean, Esq. dated off 
Boulogne, the 4th of August. 

" SIR, 

*' The enemy's vessels, brigs, and flats (lugger-rigged), 
end a schooner, twenty-four in number, were this morning 
nt day-light, anchored in a line in the front of Boulogne. 
The wind being favourable for the bombs to act, I made the 
signal for them to weigh, and to throw shells at the vessels, 
but as little as possible to annoy the town : the captains 
placed their ships in the best possible position, and in a 
few hours three of the flats and a brig were sunk ; and iu 
the course of the morning six were on shore, evidently 
much damaged. At six in the evening, being high-water, 
five of the vessels which had been aground hauled with 
difficulty into the Mole ; the others remained under water : 
I believe the whole of the vessels would have gone inside 
the pier, but for want of water. What damage the enemy 
lias sustained, beyond what we see, it is impossible to tell. 
The whole of this affair is of no further consequence than 
to show the enemy they cannot, with impunity, come out- 
side their ports.— Their officers of the artillery threw the 
shells with great skill ; and I am sorry that Captain 
2 F 2 



^56 



PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 



Freyers, of the royal artillery, is slightly wounded by th« 
bursting of an enemy's shell, and two seamen are also 
wounded. A flat gun-vessel is this moment sunk. 
" I am, &c. &c. 

" NELS6n and BRONTE.'* 

The day following this first attack on the flo- 
tilla of Boulogne, his lordship issued the follow- 
ing address to his squadron : 

" Medusa, off Boulogne, August 5th. 
" Lord Nelson has reason to be very much satisfied 
with the captains of the bombs, for their placing of the ves- 
sels yesterday : it was impossible that they could have 
been better situated ; and the artillery officers have shown 
great skill in entirely disabling ten of the armed vessels out 
of twenty-four opposed to them, and many others Lord Nel- 
son believes are much damaged. The commander-in-chief 
cannot avoid noticing the great zeal and desire to attack 
the enemy in a closer and different combat, which mani- 
fested itself in all ranks of persons, and which Lord Nelson 
would gladly have given full scope to, had the attempt 
at that moment been proper ; but the officers and others 
nmy^ rely, that an early opportunity shall be given them 
for showing their judgment, zeal, and bravery. The hired 
and revenue cutters kept under sail, and performed the 
duty intrusted to them with a great deal of skill. 

(Signed) « NELSON and BRONTE." 

It was not long before his lordship afforded his 
brave companions an opportunity of distinguish- 
ing themselves. The flotilla of the enemy being 
again moored in front of Boulogne, and in force 



LORD NELSON. 237 

considerably greater than before, Lord Nelson 
formed a plan for attacking them by night, and 
on that of the 15th of August it was put into 
execution. The details of this enterprize are 
thus given by his lordship, and the officers to 
whose conduct it was committed. 

*' Medusa, off Boulogne, Aug. 16. 
" SIR, 

*' Having judged it proper to attempt bringing off the 
enemy's flotilla, moored in the front of Boulogne, I directed 
the attack to be made by four divisions of boats, for board- 
ing, under the command of captains Soraerville, Cotgrave, 
Jones, and Parker ; and a division of howitzer-boats, un- 
der Captain Conn. The boats put off from the Medusa at 
half past eleven o'clock last night, in the best possible or- 
der, and before one o'clock this morning the firing began ; 
and I had from the judgment of the officers, and the zeal 
and gallantry of every man, the most perfect confidence of 
com plete success ; but the darkness of the night, with the 
tide and half tide, separated the divisions, and to all not 
arriving at the same happy moment with Captain Parker, 
is to be attributed the failure of success. But I beg to be 
perfectly understood, that not the smallest blame attaches 
itself to any person; for although the divisions did not ar- 
f ive together, yet each (except the fourth division, which 
could not be got up before day) made a successful attack 
on that part of the enemy they fell in with, and actually 
took possession of many brigs and flats, and cut their cables ; 
but many of them being aground, at the moment of the 
battle's ceasing on board them, the vessels were filled with 
trollies upon voUies of musquetry, the enemy being per- 



tSS PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

fectly regardless of their own men, who must have suffered 
equally with us, it was therefore impossible to remain on 
hoard, even to burn them : but allow me to say, who have 
seen much service in this war, that more determined perse- 
vering courage I never witnessed, and that nothing but the 
inipossibility of being successful, from the causes I have 
mentioned, could have prevented me from having to con- 
gratulate their lordships. But although in point of value 
the loss of such gallant and good men is incalculable ; yet, 
in point of number, it has fallen short of my expectations. I 
must also beg leave to state, that greater.zeal and more ardent 
desire to distinguish themselves by an attack on the enemy 
were never shown than by all the captains, officers, and 
crews of all the different descriptions of vessels under my 
command. The commanders of the Hunter and Gi'^y^ 
hound revenue cutters went in their boats in the most hand- 
some and gallant manner to the attack. 

" Amongst the many brave men wounded, I have, witk 
the deepest regret, to place the name of my gallant, good 
friend, and able assistant, Captain Edward T. Parker ,* 

^ Captain Parker was wounded in the thigh, and every 
attention was paid to him that his lamentable situation de- 
manded. The Earl of St. Vincent, with that humanity 
which ever marked his conduct, sent his own surgeon down 
to Deal, where he was landed, to attend him ; and great 
hopes were for a time entertained, that not only bis life, 
but likewise his limb might be saved. These flattering ex- 
pectations were however disappointed : he suffered amputa- 
tion very high in the thigh, on the 16th of September ; one 
of the arteries burst, and the great effusion of blood 
liTought -bira so low^ that after languishing till the 26th of 



LORD NELSON. 239 * 

also my flag-lieutenant^ Frederic Langford, who has served 
with me many years : they were both wounded in attempt^ 
ing to board the French commodore. To Captain Gore, of 
the Medusa, I feel the highest obligations; and when tb.eir 
lordships look at the loss of the Medusa on this occasion, 
they will agree with me that the honour of my flag, and 
the cause of" their king and country, could never have beea 
placed in more gallant hands. Captain Bedford, of the 
Leyden, with Captain Gore, very handsomely offered their 
services to serve under a master and commander : but I 
did not think it fair to the latter; and I only mention it 
to mark the zeal of those officers. From the nature of the 
attack, only a few prisoners were made ; a lieutenant, 
eight seamen, and eight soldiers, are all they brought oflL 
Herewith, I send the reports of the several commanders of 
divisions, and a return of killed and wounded. 

" I have the honour to be, &c. 

« NELSON and BRONTEj, 
« Evan Nepean, Esq." 

the same month he expired, to the great regret of his gal- 
lant commander. Lord Nelson, His remains were interred 
on the 27th, in the Chapel burying-ground, at Deal, with 
all the honors due to his rank and distinguished character. 
Lord Nelson appeared in the procession as one of the mour- 
ners, with Admiral Lutwidge and Lord George Cavendish. 
—On his professional merits it is needless to pass any en- 
comium : to have been raised to the rank of master and 
commander when scarcely twenty-one years old ; to have 
been distinguished at this early age, in the most brilliant 
era of the naval annals of England ; and, above all, to be 
transmitted to posterity as " the good and gallant friend 
and able assistant," of the greatest of modern heroes, are 
facts which speak more powerfully than any panegyric. 



^40 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

" p. S. Captain Somerville was the senior master and 
commander employed/* 



" Eugenie, off Boulogne, Aug. 16, 1801. 

" MY LORD, 

" In obedience to jour lordship*s direction to state the 
proceedings of the first division of boats which you did me 
the honour to place under mjcommand,forthe purpose of at- 
tacking the enemy's flotilla in the bay of Boulogne, I beg 
leave tc acquaint you, that after leaving the Medusa last 
night, I found myself, on getting on shore, carried consi- 
derably, hy the rapidity of the tide, to the eastward of the 
above-mentioned place ; and finding that I was not likely 
to reach it in the order prescribed, I gave directions for the 
jjoats to cast each other off. By so doing, I was enabled 
to get to the enemy's flotilla a little before the dawn of day, 
and in the best order possible attacked, close to the pier- 
head, a brig, which, after a sharp contest, I carried. Pre- 
vious to so doing, her cables were cut ; but I was prevented 
from towing her out, by her being secured with a chain, and 
in consequence of a very heavy fire of rausquetry and 
grape-shot that was directed at us from the shore, three lug- 
gers and another brig within half pistol shot ; and not see- 
ing the least prospect of being able to get her off, T was 
obliged to abandon her, and push out of the bay, as it was 
then completely daylight. The undaunted and resolute 
behaviour of the officers, seamen, and marines, was unpa- 
ralleled ; and I have to lament the loss of several of those 
brave men, a list of whom I enclose herewith. 

" I have the honour to be, &;c. 

" P. SOMERVILLE, 
« Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B.« 



LORD NELSON. 24l 

"Medusa, off Boulogne, Aug. 16. 

" MY LORD, 

''After the complete arrangement which was made, tlie 
perfect good understanding and regularity with which the 
boats you did me the honour to put under my command, 
left the Medusa, 1 have an anxious feeling to explain to 
your lordship the failure of our enterprise, that on its out- 
set promised every success. Agreeable to your lordship's 
instructions, I proceeded with the second division of the 
boats under my direction (the half of which were under the 
direction of Lieutenant Williams, senior of the IMedusa), 
to attack the part of the enemy's flotilla appointed for me, 
and at half past twelve had the good fortune to find myself 
close to them ; when I ordered Lieutenant Williams with 
his subdivision, to push on to attack the vessels to the north- 
ward of me, while I, with the others, ran alongside a large 
brig off the Mole Head, wearing the commodore's pennant. 
It is at this moment that I feel myself at a loss for words to 
do justice to the officers and crew of the Medusa, who were 
in the boat with me, and to Lieutenant Langford, the offi- 
cers and crew of the same ship, who nobly seconded us in 
thcbarge, until all her crew were killed or wounded ; and 
to the Hon. Mr. Cathcart, who commanded the Medusa's 
cutter, and sustained the attack with the greatest intrepi- 
dity, until the dangerous situation I was left in obliged me 
to call him to the assistance of the sufferers in my boat. 
The boats were no sooner alongside, than we attempted to 
board ; but a very strong netting, traced up to her lower 
yards, baffled all our endeavours, and an instantaneous dis- 
charge of her guns and small arras, from about 200 soldiers 
on her gunwale, knocked myself, Mr. Kirby, the master of 
tbe Medusa, and Mr. Gore, a midshipman, with two thirds 
2 G 



242 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

of the crew, upon our backs into the boat, all either killed 
or wounded desperately. The barge and cutter, being on 
the outside, sheered oiFwith the tide ; but the flat-boat, in 
which I was, being alongside, there was not an officer or 
man left to govern her, must have fallen into the hands of 
the enemy, had not Mr. Cathcart taken her in tow, and car- 
ried her off. 

'' Mr, Williams led his subdivision up to the enemy with 
the most intrepid gallantry, took one lugger, and attacked 
a brig : while his crews, I am concerned to say, suffered 
equally with ourselves : nearly the whole of his boat's crew 
were killed or wounded : Lieut. Pelley, who commanded 
the Medusa's launch, and the Hon. Mr. Maitland, were 
severely wounded ; and Mr. W. Bristow, master's mate 
in the Medusa's cutter, under Lieutenant Stewart, was 
killed. 

" I now feel it my duty to assure your lordship, that 
nothing could surpass the zeal, courage, and readiness of 
every description of officers and men^ under my command ; 
and I am sorry that my words fall short of their merits, 
though we could not accomplish the object we were or- 
dered to. — I have the honour to be, &c. 

(Signed) "E.T.PARKEU. 

** Lord Viscount Nelson." 



«' Gannet, August 16", 180 L 

" MY LORD. 

"On the night of the 15th instant, the third division of 
boats which I had the honour to command,^ assembled on 
board his Majesty's ship York, agreeable to your lordship's 
direction, and at eleven P. M. by signal from the Medusa, 
proceeded without loss of time to attack the enemy's fio- 



LOUD NELSON. 243 

tilla ofF Boulogne, as directed by your lordship; and as I 
thought it most adviseable to endeavour to reduce the lar- 
gest vessel first, I lost no time in making the attack ; but in 
consequence of my leading the division, and the enemy 
opening a heavy fire from several batteries, I thought it ad- 
viseable to give the enemy as little time as possible, cut 
the tow-rope, and did not wait for the other boats, so that it 
was some little time before the heavy boats could get up : I 
received so many shots through the boat's bottom, that I 
soon found her in a sinking state ; and as it was not possible 
to stop so many shot-holes, was obliged with the men to take 
to another boat, and have the pleasure to acquaint your 
lordship that I received particular support from the boats of 
%\s Majesty's shi]> York, which soon ran up with the rest 
of the division I had the honour to command : but finding 
no prospect of success, and the number of men killed and 
wounded in the different, boats, and the constant fire from 
the thore of grape and small arms, thought it for the good 
of his Majesty's service to withdraw the boats between two 
and three in the morning, as we could not board her, al- 
though every effort was made, 

" I have the honour to be, &c. 

(Signed; *' I. COTGRAVE. 

* Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B." 



" Ilis Majesty's Ship Isis, Sunday, Aug. 16, 1801. 

*' MY LORD, 

*' In consequence of directions received from your lord- 
ship, I last night, on the signal being made on board the 
Medusa, left this ship with the boats of the fourth division, 
Ibrmed into two close lines, and immediately joined tho 
^ G 2 



^44 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

other divisions under the stern of the Medusa, and from 
thence proceeded to put your lordship's order into execu- 
tion, attacking the westernmost part of the enemy's flotilla : 
but;, notwithstanding every exertion made, owing to the 
rapidity of the tide, we could not, until near day-light, get 
to the westward of any part of the enemy's line; on ap- 
proaching the eastern part of which, in order to assist the 
:first division, then engaged, we met them returning. Under 
these circumstances, and the day breaking apace, I judged 
it prudent to direct the officers commanding the differeat 
boats to return to their respective ships. 

'^ J have the honour to be, &c. 

'* ROBT. JONES. 
" P. S. None killed or wounded on board an of the 
fourth division. 

" Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B." 



** Discovery, off Boulogne, Aug. 16, 180L 

"MY LORD> 

'^ I beg leave to make my report to your lordship of the 
four howitzer boats that I had the honour to command in the 
«ittack of the enemy last night. 

'^ Having led-in to support Captain Parker's division, 
keeping between his lines until the enemy opened their fire 
on him, we keeping on towards the pier until I was aground 
in the headmost boat, then opened our fire, and threw about 
eight shells into it ; but, from the strength of the tide coming 
out of the harbour, was not able to keep off the pier-head, 
but continued our fire on the camp, until the enemy's fire 
had totally slackened, and Captain Parker's division had 
passed without me. I beg leave to mention to your Lord- 



LORD NELSON. 245 

ship, that I was ably supported b}^ the other boats. — Cap* 
tain Broome and Lieutenant Beam, of the royal artillery, 
did every thing in their power to annoy the enemy ; the 
other officers of artillery were detached in the other four 
howitzer boats. 

"I have the honour to be, &:c. 

♦'JOHN CONN. 
•* Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B." 



An Account of Officers, Seamen, and Marines killed and 
wounded in the Boats of his Majesty's Ships and Fesstls in 
the Attack of the French Flotilla, moored btfort Bouloarne^ 
on the flight (ftlie Ijih of August. 

First Division. 

Leyden — 8 seamen, 3 marines killed; 5 officers,. 20 sea- 
men, 15 marines wounded Total 51. 

Eugenie — 3 seamen killed; one officer, 5 seamen 
wounded. Total 9. 

Jamaica — 1 officer, 3 seamen killed; 1 officer, 4 sea- 
men, 4 marines wounded. Total 13. 
Seco)td Division, 

Medusa — 2 officers, 14 seamen, 4 marines killed; 5 
officers, 24 seamen, 6 marines wounded. Total 55. 

QuEENBORouGH CuTTER — 1 seamau killed; 6 seamea 
wounded. Total 7. 

Third Division. 

York — 1 officer, 2 seamen killed ; 1 officer, 10 seamen, 
5 marines wounded. Total 1 9. 

Gannet — 1 seaman killed ; 2 seamen wounded. To 
tal 3. 

Ferreter — 2 seamen wounded. 

Express — 4 seamen wounded. 



246 PROFESSIONAL lif:e of 

ExpLosroN— 1 seaman killed; 2 seamen wounded. 
Total 3. 

PiscovERY — 1 seaman wounded. 

Fourth Division, 

None killed or wounded. 

Total. 4 officers, 33 seamen, 7 marines killed ; 14 offi- 
cers, 84 seamen, 30 marines wounded. Total 172, 
Names of Officers killed and wounded, 

Leyden — Lieutenants Thomas Oliver, Francis Dicken- 
son, badly; Captain Young of the marines, badly; Mr. 
Francis Burney, master's mate ; Mr, Samuel Spratley, mid- 
shipman, wounded. 

Eugenie — Mr. William Basset, acting-lieutenant, 
wounded. 

Jamaica — Mr Alexander Rutherford, master's mate, 
killed; Lieutenant Jeremiah Skelton, wounded. 

Medusa — Mr. William Gore*, Mr. William Bristow, 

Mr. William Gore was son of Lieut. Colonel Gore of 
the Bristol volunteer infantry. He was only in his six- 
teenth year, and promised to prove an honour to his family, 
an ornament to his profession, and a valuable officer to his 
country. Previous to receiving the fatal stroke which ter- 
minated his life, he had been wounded by five rausket-balls 
in attempting to board, and everj^ man in the boat with him 
was either killed or wounded. Mr. Bristow, his brother 
midshipman, was a youth of like merit. On the 18th of 
August these two young officers were both interred at Deal, 
in one grave. Their excellent commander. Lord Nelson, 
followed their bodies to the ground, with eight captains of 
the navy, preceded by a file of marines, who fired three vol- 
iies over the place of interment. His lordship was much 
affected, and was seen to shed tears during the performance 
of this last tribute of respect to these two gallant youths. 



LORD NELSON. 24? 

Biidshipman, killed ; Captain Edward Thornborough Par-* 
ker. Lord Nelson's aid-de-camp ; Lieutenants Charles Pel- 
ley, Frederic Langford; Mr. William Kirby, master; the 
Hon. Anthony Maitland, midshipman, wounded. 

York — Mr. Berry, midshipman, killed; Mr. Brown 
gunner, wounded 

Mr. Richard Williamson, commander of the Greyhound 
Revenue Cutter, wounded, and one seaman belonging to 
the Greyhound likewise wounded. 

NELSON AND BRONTE. 

Medusa, August 16, 1801. 

After the failure of this second attack his lord- 
ship expressed his high approbation of the zeal 
and gallantry displayed on this occasion in the 
following terms : — 

" Medusa, Downs, Aug. 18. 

*' VicE-Admiral Lord Nelson has the greatest satisfac- 
tion in sending to the captains, officers, and men under his 
command, that were employed in the late attempt on the' 
enemy's flotilla off Boulogne, an extract of a letter which 
he has received from the first lord of the Admiralty, not 
only approving of their zeal and persevering courage, but 
bestowing the highest praises on them. 

*' The vice-admiral begs to assure them, that the enemy 
will not have reason to boast of their security ; for he trusts, 
ere long, to assist them in person in a way which will com- 
pletely annihilate the whole of them. Lord Nelson is con- 
vinced, that if it had been possible for men to have brought 
the enemy's flotilla out, the men that were employed to do 
so would have accomplished it. The moment the enemy 
have the audacity to cast oiF the chains which fix their ves- 



g4S PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

sels to the ground, that moment Lord Nelson is well per- 
suaded they will be conducted by his brave followers to a 
British port, or sent to the bottom. 

(Signed) «' NELSON AND BRONTE." 



" Extract of a Letter from Earl St. Vincent to Lord 
Viscount Nelson, K. B. dated the 17th inst. 
*' It is not given us to command success — 
Your lordship, and the gallant officers and men 
under your orders most certainly deserve it ; and 
I cannot sufficiently express my admiration of the 
zeal and persevering courage with which this gal- 
lant enterprize was followed up ; lamenting most 
sincerely the loss sustained in it. The manner in 
which the enemy's flotilla was fastened to the 
ground, and to each other, could not have been 
foreseen. The highest praise is due to your lord- 
ship, and all under your command, who were ac- 
tors in this gallant attempt/' 

These daring attacks, though they failed of ac- 
complishing the object to which they were imme- 
diately directed, had, however, the e^ect of 
obliging the enemy to turn their attention rather 
lo the defence of their own coast than to the in- 
vasion of Britain. Their failure was attributable 
to no circumstance that could reflect the least 
discredit on any person concerned. The French 
owed their safety, not to the skill of their sea- 
men, the valor of their soldiers, or the strength 
3 



/ 



LORD NELSON. 24^ 

of their batteries, bat to means of defence which 
nothing but a consciousness of the superior intre- 
pidity and talents opposed to them could have 
induced them to adopt. "^ 

Such was the state of affairs when the signing 
of the preliminaries of peace put a period, for a 
short time, to the active and glorious labors of 
Lord Nelson, and he retired to repose beneath 
his. hard-earned laurels, and to the enjoyment of 
domestic felicity, at the seat which he had pur- 
chased at Merton, in Surrey. 

Previous to this event it was announced, on the 
4th of August, that the king had been pleased to 
grant the dignity of Baron of the United King- 
dom of Great Britain and Ireland to the Right 
Honorable Viscount Nelson, Knight of the most 
honorable Order of the Bath, and Vice-Admiral 
of the Blue Squadron of his Majesty's fleet (Duke 
of Bronte in Sicily, Knight of the Grand Cross 
of the Orders of St. Ferdinand and of Merit, and 
the Imperial Order of the Crescent), and to the 
heirs male of his body, lawfully begotten, by the 



* The following impromptu was written on occasion of 
the second attack on Boulogne : 

Exult not France, that Nelson's vengeful blow. 
Has not as usual your destruction gain'd ; 
S'dy what you will, this truth the world must know, 
Altho' unconquer'd, you were left enchain'd, 
2 H 



£50 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

name, style, and title of Baron Nelson of the 
Nile, and of Ililborough, in the county of Nor- 
folk ; with remainders to Edmund Nelson, clerk, 
rector of Burnham Thorpe, in the said county of 
Norfolk, father of the said Horatio Viscount 
Nelson, and the heirs male of his body, lawfully 
begotten ; and to the heirs male lawfully begot- 
ten, and to be begotten, severally and successive- 
ly, of Susannah, the wife of Thomas Bolton, 
Esq. and sister of the said Horatio Viscount Nel- 
son ; and in default of such issue to the heirs 
male of Catherine, the wife of George Matcham, 
Esq. another sister of the said Horatio Viscount 
Nelson/' 

On the 12th of September, following, another 
notice appeared to the following effect : 

*' The king was pleased, by a warrant under 
his royal signet and sign-manual, bearing date the 
7 th day of January last, to give and grant unto 
Horatio Baron Nelson of the Nile, and of Burn- 
ham Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk (now Vis- 
count Nelson), Knight of the most honorable 
mihtary Order of the Bath, and Vice-Admiral of 
the Blue Squadron of his Majesty's fleet, his royal 
licence and permission to receive and bear the 
Great Cross of the order of St. Ferdinand and 
of Merit, conferred on him by Ferdinand IV. 
King of the Two Sicilies. 



J 



LORD NELSON. £51 

' " The king was also pleased, by warrant under 
his royal signet and sign-manual, bearing date 
the 9th of January last, to give and grant unto 
the said Horatio Nelson, now Viscount Nelson, 
his royal licence and permission to accept for 
himself and his heirs, the title of Duke of Bronte, 
with the fief of the duchy annexed thereto, also 
conferred upon him by the said King of the Two 
Sicilies. 

'' And also to command that these his Majes- 
ty's concessions and declarations be respectively 
registered in his College of Arms/' 



2 I 2 



PROPESSIONAL LIFE OF 



CHAP. riL 



1314^ TO U05. 



Parliaiiienlary conduct of Lord Nelson — His speech on the 
motion of thanks to Sir James Saumarez — On the Navy- 
Abuse Bill— Renewal of hostilities with France — His 
lordship is appointed to the chief command in the Medi- 
terranean—Partial action with the Toulon fleet^-His an- 
swer in a vote of thanks of the Corporation of London- 
Anecdote of an officer of hi> ship— -He sails in pursuit of 
the combined French and Spanish fleet — Proceeds to 
Egypt — Returns to Gibraltar — Follows the enemy to the 
West Indies — Drives them back to Europe — Returns to 
England — Sails to take the command off Cadiz with ex- 
traordinary powers — Attacks the combined fleet — Is kill- 
ed during the engagement — Particulars of his last mo- 
raents-Oflicial account of the victory—Miscellaneous anec- 
dotes of his lordship, and remarks on his character. 

Xiis lordship now had an opportunity of enjoy- 
ing, in tranquil retirement, the sweets of that 
peace which he himself had so largely contributed 
to conquer. In the family circle by which he was 
surrounded at Merton, he tasted that ineffable 
dehght arising from the intercourse of affection ^ 
and the charms of friendship. These were so 
much the more soothing to his feeling mind, as 
he had been for so many years exposed, almost 



LORD NELSON. 253 

without intermission, to sufferings, fatigue, and 
hardship, of every description. His affability, 
and the gentleness of his manners gained him 
the heart of every one who approached him, and 
his humanity was the theme of universal admira- 
tion. 

Though the noble admiral reposed during the 
short interval of peace, from the perils and the 
labours of his professional career, he punctually 
attended to his public duties of a different kind. 
His extraordinary deserts had elevated him to a 
place among the hereditary advisers of his Ma- 
jesty, and he was indefatigable in fulfilling the im- 
portant functions of that high station. His na- 
tural modesty prevented him, it is true, from dis- 
playing his sentiments on many of the subjects 
that came before the house 'for discussion, but 
whenever he did speak, what he said was so much 
to the purpose, and expressed with such energy 
and ability, that he commanded the attention and 
the respect of all who heard him. 

When the Earl of St. Vmcent, on the 30th of 
October, 1801, moved in the house of lords that 
the thanks of the house should be given to Sir 
James Saumarez, for his gallant and distinguish- 
ed conduct with the combined French and Spa- 
nish fleet off' Algeziras, the motion was strenu 
ously seconded by Lord Viscount Nelson. He 
said, *' he could not give a silent vote to a motion 



254 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

that so cordially had his consent. He had the ho- 
nour to be the friend of Sir James Saumarez. The 
noble earl at the head of the admiralty had se- 
lected that great officer to watch the French in 
that important quarter, and the noble earl had 
not been deceived in his choice. He would as- 
sert, that a greater action was never fought than 
that of Sir James Saumarez. The gallant admi- 
ral had before that action undertaken an enter- 
prize, which none but the most gallant officer 
and the bravest seamen could have attempted. 
He had failed through an accident, by the falHng 
of the wind ; for he ventured to say, if that had 
not failed him, Sir James Saumarez would have 
captured the French fleet. The promptness with 
which Sir James refitted ; the spirit with which 
he attacked a superior force after his recent dis- 
aster, and the masterly conduct of the action, he 
did not think were ever surpassed.'^ His lordship 
entered very much into the detail of the action, 
and said, ^^ that the merit of Sir J. Saumarez 
would be less wondered at, when the school in 
which he was educated was considered by their 
lordships. He was educated at first under Lord 
Hood, and afterwards under the noble earl near 
him (Lord St. Vincent).'' His lordship then 
gave an account of some of the memorable ser- 
vices of Sir James Saumarez when a captain, and 



LORD NELSON. 255 

concluded by apologizing to the house for the 
trouble he had given their lordships. 

On the 3d of November, the same year, when 
the preliminaries of peace with France were taken 
into consideration in the house of lords, and mi- 
nisters were censured for consenting to give up 
Malta, the noble admiral made some observa- 
tions relative to the importance of that islan^. 
He said, '* that when he was sent down the Me" 
diterranean, Malta was in the hands of the French, 
and on his return from Aboukir it was his first 
object to blockade the island, because he deemed 
it an invaluable service to rescue it from their 
possession. In any other view it was not of much 
consequence, being at too great a distance from 
Toulon to watch the enemy's fleet from that port 
in time of war. In peace it would require a gar- 
rison of 7000 men, in war of twice that number, 
without being of any real utility. The Cape of 
Good Hope would be equally detrimental if re- 
tained by Great Britain : and though it certainly 
ought not to be given up to the French, this ces- 
sion would be preferable to keeping it. Though 
the war had been long, he believed his Majesty 
had seized the first opportunity of making peace, 
and he was satisfied it was the best that existing 
circumstances admitted." 

A few days afterwards, on the 12th of Novem- 
ber, when Lord Hobart rose to move the thanks 



256 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

of the house to the naval officers and seamen who 
had co-operated in the conquest of Eg}^pt, Lord 
Nelson said, that *^ the service of Egypt was of a 
double nature^yet of equal importance; it fell to 
the lot of the army to fight, and of the navy to 
labour ; they had equally performed their duty, 
and were equally entitled to thanks/' 

When, in 1802, the noble lord at the head of 
the admiralty with a laudable zeal for the public 
interest, and the advantage of individuals, pro- 
jected the plan for the correction of abuses com- 
mitted by certain boards employed in the naval 
department of the public service, and by prize- 
agents, Lord Nelson stood forth the zealous sup- 
porter of his friend and patron. On the second 
reading of the bill for appointing commissioners 
to enquire into these abuses, on the 21st of De- 
cember, his lordship rose, and with that solici- 
tude for the interests of his profession which ever 
marked his character and endeared him to every 
seaman, made an animated speech to the follow- 
ing effect: — 

*' My Lords, in the absence of my noble friend, 
who is at the head of the admiralty, I think it 
my duty to say a few words to their lordships, 
in regard to a bill, of which the objects have an 
express reference to the interests of my profes- 
sion as a seaman. It undoubtedly originated in 
the feeling of the admiralty, thit they have not 



LORD NELSON. S57 

the power to remedy certain abuses which they 
perceive to be the most injurious to the public 
service. Every man knows that there are such 
abuses; I hope there is none among us who 
would not gladly do all that can be constitution- 
ally effected to correct them. Yet, if I had heard 
of any objection of weight urged against the mea- 
sure in the present bill, I should certainly have 
hesitated to do any thing to promote its progress 
through the forms of this house. But I can re- 
collect only one thing, with which I have been 
struck, as possibly exceptionable in its tenor. It 
authorizes the commissioners to call for, and to 
inspect the books of merchants who may have 
bad transactions of business with any of the 
boards or prize agents, into whose conduct they 
are to enquire. But the credit of the British mer- 
chant is the support of the commerce of the 
world : his books are not lightly, nor for any or- 
dinary purpose to be taken out of his own hands. 
The secrets of his business are not to be too cu- 
riously pryed into. The books of a single rner* 
chant may betray the secrets, not only of his own 
affairs, but of those with whom he is principally 
connected in business, and the reciprocal confi- 
dence of the whole conunercial world, nia;y , by 
the authoritative enquiry of these commibsione) s 
be shaken. All this, at least, I should have teart^d 
as liable to happen; if the persoiis who are atuued 
2 I 



^58 I'ROrESSIONAL LIFE OF 

in the bill had not been men whose characters 
are above all suspicion of indiscretion or malice, 
I may presume it to be the common conviction 
of the merchants, that in such hands they may 
be safe; since they have made no opposition to 
the bill in its progress, and since they have offer- 
ed no appearance against it, by counsel at your 
lordships' bar. And truly, my Lords, if the bill 
be thus superior to all objection, I can affirm that 
the necessities, the wrongs of those who are em- 
ployed in the naval service of their country most 
loudly call for the redress which it proposes. 
From the highest admiral in the service, to the 
poorest cabin-boy that walks the street, there is 
not a man but may be in distress with large sums 
of wages due to him, of which he shall by no di- 
ligence of request be able to obtain payment : 
not a man whose intreaties will be readily an- 
swered with ought but insult at the proper places 
for his application, if he come not with par- 
ticular recommendations to a preference. From 
the highest admiral to the meanest seaman, what- 
ever may be the sums of prize-money due to him, 
no man can tell when he may securely call any 
part of it his own. A man may have forty 
thousand pounds due to him in prize-money, and 
yet may be dismissed without a shilling, if he ask 
for it at the proper office, without particular re- 
commendation. Are these things to be tolerated? 



LORD NELSON. 259 

Is it for the interest, is it for the honor of the 
country that they should not be as speedily as 
possible redressed? I should be as unwilhng as 
any man to give an overweening preference to the 
interests of my own profession. But I cannot 
help thinking, that, under all the circumstances- 
of the business, your lordsjiips will be strongly 
disposed to advance this bill into a law, as speedi- 
ly as may be consistent with the order of your 
proceedings, and with due prudence of delibera- 
tion/' 

In the consideration of this bill, in a commit- 
tee of the whole house, on the following day, the 
D'uke of Clarence having suggested the propriety 
©f instituting a distinct enquiry, under a particu- 
lar act, into the abuses of prize-agency. Lord 
Nelson coincided in the opinion of his Royal 
Highness, and expressed a desire that the investi- 
gation of the flagrant abuses by prize-agenti 
might be made the subject of a separate act.-"* 
His lordship, at the same time, owned, that ther« 
might be instances in which the delays in the pay- 
ment of prize-money resulted, not from the vil- 
lainy of the agents, but from accidents not easily 
- avoidable in the common course of human af- 
fairs. 

Little more than a year had elapsed from the 
ratification of the definitive treaty of peace, 
■wben hi» Majesty, on the l6th of May, 1803^ 
2 I 2' 



Q.60 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

announced, by a message, a rupture with France, 
to both houses of parUament. Short were the : 
periods of repose which the noble admiral was '; 
destined to enjoy. Had he possessed a mind less - 
ardently desirous of glory. Lord Nelson might 
with justice have advanced his long services, se-i 
vere sufferings, and infirm health, as a plea for 
an honorable retirement; but private considera- 
tions were never placed by him in competition 
with public benefit. No sooner was the loud 
clarion of defiance sounded by the insolent foe, 
than his lordship, animated by the hope of again 
hurling British vengeance on the head of the up- 
start, hastened to make a tender to the govern* 
ment of services too valuable not to be accept- 
ed. He was immediately appointed to the com- 
mand of the fleet in the Mediterranean, and on 
the 20th of May sailed from Portsmouth in the 
Victory, of 110 guns, accompanied by the Am- 
phion frigate. 

On this station many tedious months passed 
away in watching the enemy's fleet in the port of 
Toulon. Patience and vigilance were the only 
qualities his lordship was called upon to exert, 
and these he proved that he possessed in an equal 
degree with intrepidity and courage. So far 
from keeping tlie French fleet closely blockaded, 
the plan pursued by the noble admiral was, to 
remain at a considerable distance from the port 



LORD NELSON. S6l 

with his squadron, so as to afford the enemy every 
facility to come out, confident of gaining fresh 
laurels could he but entice them from under the 
guns of their own batteries. This hope was near- 
ly realized on the 23d of May, 1804, when Lord 
Nelson detached Rear-admiral Campbell, in the 
Canopus, of 84 guns, with the Donegal, of the 
same force, and the Amazon frigate, to recon- 
noitre the outer road of Toulon. This service 
was performed by Admiral Campbell, who re- 
mained for some hours as near the mouth of the 
harbor as the batteries would permit ; when the 
French admiral, Latouche Treville, got under 
weigh, and stood out towards the little British 
squadron with two ships of 84 guns, three of 74, 
three frigates of 44, and a corvette. The frigates 
and the Swiftsure, of 74 guns, gained considera- 
bly, and the headmost of the former opened a 
distant teazing fire on the Donegal. This was 
not to be long borne patiently by her commander. 
Sir Richard Strachan, who luffed up and fired a 
broadside, which instantly checked the ardor of 
the enemy. Some shot from the Canopus, at 
the same time, retarded the progress of the Swift- 
Hure. The force of the French fleet was so far 
superior to Admiral Campbell's little squadron, 
that it would have been madness to hazard an 
engagement ; he therefore made sail, and the 
enemy continued to follow for some time under a 



t^^ PROFESSIONAL LIFE Ofi 

crowd of canvas; but, (according to the expres- 
ition of an officer of the Canopus) fearing lest be 
should be decoyed into the jaws of the Viscount, 
who with the remainder of the fleet, was nine 
leagues distant, Latouche Treville hauled his 
wind, and returned to Toulon covered with glory ^ 
The same night the British ships joined the admi- 
ral, who, having heard the firing indistinctly, 
had detached the Leviathan towards Toulon ; 
but before she had proceeded far, Admiral Camp* 
bell was discovered returning. 

For his conduct during this long interval of 
fruitless expectation, his lordship received the 
thanks of the corporation of London. Nothing 
can afford a more striking illustration of the ge- 
nerosity of his sentiments, than the answer which 
he wrote on this occasion. It was as follows: 

Victory, August 1, 1804, 

'' MY LORD, 

" This day I am honoured with your lordship's letter of 
April 9th, transmitting me the resolutions of the corpora- 
tion of London, thanking me as commanding the fleet block- 
ading Toulon. 

" I do assure your lordship that there is not that man 
breathing who sets a higher value upon the thanks of his 
fellow-cilizens of London than myself; bat I should feel a» 
much ashamed to receive them for a particular service 
marked in the resolution, if I felt that I did not come within 
that line of service, as I should feel hurt at having a great 
victory passed over without notice. 



LOUD NELSON. £6S 

•' I beg to inform your lordship that the port of Touloii 
bas never been blockaded by me : quite the reverse; every 
opportunity has been oflPered the enemy to put to sea, for it 
is there that we hope to realize the hopes and expectations 
of our country, and I trust tliat they will not be disap- 
pointed. 

*' Your lordship will judge of my feelings upon 
seeing that all the junior flag-officers of other fleets, and 
even some of the captains, have received the thanks of iht 
corporation of London, whilst the junior flag-officers of the 
Mediterranean fleet are entirely omitted. I own it has 
struck me very forcibly ; for, where the information of the 
junior flag-officers and captains of other fleets was obtain- 
ed, the same information could have been given of the flag- 
officers of this fleet and the captains ; and it was my duty 
to state, that more able and zealous flag-officers and cap- 
tains do not grace the British navy than those I have the 
honour and happiness to command. It likewise appears, 
my lord, a most extraordinary circumstance, that Rear- 
Ad rairal Sir Richard Bickerton should have been, as second 
in command in the Mediterranean fleet, twice passed ever 
by the corporation of London ; once after the Egyptian ex- 
pedition, when the first and third in command were thanked 
— and now again. Consciousness of high desert, instead 
of neglect, made the rear-admiral reisolve to let the matter 
rest until he could have an opportunity personally to call 
upon the lord mayor to account for such an extraordinary 
omission; but, from this second omission, I owe it to that 
excellent officer not to pass it by. 

'^ And I do assure your lordship, that the constant, zeal- 
ous, and cordial support I have had in my command from 
both Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, and Rear-Ad- 
miral Campbell, has been such as calls forth all my thank^ 
and admiration. We have shared together the constant a>- 



5^64 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

tentlon of being more tlian fourteen months at sea, an(5 are 
ready to share the dangers and glory of a day of battle j 
therefore it is impossible that I can ever allow myself to be 
separated in thanks from such supporters. I have the ho- 
nour to remain, with the very highest respect, your lord- 
ship's most faithful and obedient servant, 

(Signed) " NELSON and BRONTE. 

*' To the right hon. the Lord Mayor/' 

Soon afterwards^ a circumstance occurred, 
which, though trifling in itself, yet, as it serves 
to illustrate the sentiments of humanity which 
ever influenced his lordship, and the patronage 
he invariably bestowed on merit, it would be un- 
pardonable to pass over in silence. On the 1 1th 
of September, a seaman of the Victory fell from 
the forecastle into the sea. On hearing the cry 
of a man overboard, Mr. Edward Flin, a volun- 
teer, jumped after him from the quarter-deck, 
and, notwithstanding the extreme darkness of the 
night, and the ship being at the time under sail, 
he had the good fortune to save the man. — The 
next morning Lord Nelson sent for Mr. Flin, and 
presented him with a lieutenant's commission, 
appointing him to the Bittern sloop of war. He 
told him, at the same time, that he would strongly ■ 
recommend him to the lords of the admiralty; in 
consequence of which, their lordships confirmed 
the appointment. 

Since the destruction of the French fleet at 



LORD NELSON. 265 

Aboukir, the enemy's squadrons had been so 
closely confined within their own harbors, that 
the appearance of a single ship of war was con- 
sidered a rarity, and the British naval force had 
no other occupation than to blockade the havens 
of France. On the renewal of the war this system, 
though severely censured by some, was again 
resorted to, and fleets were stationed without 
intermission off the ports of Brest, Boulogne, 
Rochefort, and Toulon. Meanwhile the ambi- 
tious Buonaparte made the restoration of the 
French marine the particular object of his at- 
tention. The French armies assembled on the 
coasts, and the menacing preparations for the in- 
vasion of the British islands, drew the attention 
of the government from the immediate object of 
the fleets that were equipping at different ports, 
for the purpose of wounding Great Britain in the 
tenderest part. 

With the year 1805, the politics of the enemy 
seemed to have undergone a sudden change. — A 
French squadron, under Rear- Admiral Missiessi, 
got out of Rochfort, and having escaped the ob- 
servation of the English cruisers, was pillaging 
the West-India islands, when a second and more 
formidable expedition left Toulon. Lord Nelson 
had stationed himself at the distance of about 
forty miles from that port, observing the whole 
line of the Italian, French, and Spanish coasts 
2 K 



£66 PROFESSIONAL vXIFE OF 

from Palermo, by Leghorn, Toulon, and Barce- 
lona, to the Streights of Gibraltar. Through this 
extent of sea his ships cruized in every direction 
and detained all the French and Spanish vessels 
they chanced to meet with. 

On the 15th of January, Admiral Villeneuve 
put to sea with his squadron, consisting of eleven 
sail of the line and two frigates. The Seahorse^ 
Lord Nelson's look-out frigate, immediately made 
the necessary signal, and narrowly escaped being 
taken by the enemy. The Venus sloop of 10 guns, 
with dispatches from his lordship, unfortunately 
fell into their hands ; but the dispatches had pre- 
viously been thrown overboard. 

No sooner was his lordship informed of Ville- 
neuve's departure, than he v/ent in pursuit of him. 
Report had assigned Egypt as the destination of 
the French squadron, and this idea seemed to be 
confirmed by a variety of circumstances. Eager 
to counteract the enemy's design, the admiral, on 
the 20th of January, sent advice to the British 
ambassador at Constantinople, that the Toulon 
fleet had sailed with a considerable number of 
troops on board, probably intended to make a 
descent on the Morea, or on Egypt. The same 
information he likewise transmitted to the com- 
mandant of Coron, in the Morea. 

Having taken this precaution, the noble admi- 
ral immediately proceeded in quest of the enemy, 

5 



LORD NELSON. 26? 

and on the 29th of January arrived off the Li- 
pari Islands. The appearance of such a for- 
midable force excited great commotion, before 
the colors could be distinguished, on the Sicilian 
coast, where it was mistaken for the Toulon fleet, 
which was there reported to have on board ten 
thousand men, destined for that island. On the 
SOth his lordship endeavoured to pass through the 
Streight of Messina, but w^as prevented by the 
strong south wind. This he however accomplish- 
ed the following day ; and being disappointed in 
the expectation of meeting with the eneiuy in 
those seas, he continued his course witnout loss of 
time towards Malta. 

Deceived by false intelhgence. Lord Nelson 
now determined to revisit those shores which had 
a few years before been the theatre of his glory. 
Panting with the hope of again annihilating the 
enemies of his country, he- steered with his squa- 
dron for the bay of Aboukir. Here it was again 
mistaken for the French fleet ; the terrified inha- 
bitants forsook the towns on the coast, which 
were found deserted by the crews of the boats 
that landed to procure refreshments. Such is 
the indolence of these wretched people, that in 
the short interval which had elapsed since the 
British forces evacuated the country, the fortifi- 
cations both of Alexandria and Aboukir had been 
so neglected, as to have fallen entirely to ruin. 
2 K 2 



^68 PKOPESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Finding here no foe to encounter, but strongly 
prepossessed with the idea that the French fleet 
was on its way to Egypt^ Lord Nelson returned to 
Sicily, with the view to intercept it. Ville- 
neuve had, in the mean time, quietly returned to 
Toulon. Secure in the distance of his terrific 
foe, when all his preparations were completed, he 
proceeded to the accomplishment of the grand 
plan which had been projected. On the 30th of 
March he again left Toulon with eleven sail of 
the line, a frigate, and two corvettes, in which 
were embarked 10,000 chosen troops, under the 
command of General Lauriston. He first sailed to 
Carthagena, where the six ships under the Spanish 
Admiral Salcedo, were not in readiness to join 
iiim. Fearful of losing time, Villeneuve pur- 
sued his course to Cadiz, where he was expected 
by Admiral Gravina with six Spanish sail of the 
line, having on board 2280 troops. 

On the 9th of April the French fleet appeared 
off Cadiz. Sir John Orde, who was blockading 
that port with five ships of the line, was unable 
to prevent the junction of the Spanish squadron 
with that of France. Villeneuve was near enough 
to force him to an action, but his instructions 
prescribed him a different destination. He im- 
mediately sent directions to the French ship of 
the line, L'Aigle, which had long lain at Cadiz, 
to put to sea, and was soon afterwards joined by 



I 



LORD NELSON. 269 

Admiral Grayina with six sail of the line and five 
frigates. The French ships were, Effroyable of 
]10 guns, Duguay Trouin of 90, Intrepide and 
Fidele of 84, Magistrat, Provence, Vaiitour, San- 
guinaire, Hazard, Concorde, Caesar, and Aigle ; 
the Spanish were the Argonaut, San Raphael, 
El Fermo, Terrible, America, and Espana. Na- 
ture seemed to favor this junction ; a strong east 
wind soon carried the combined fleet out of sight 
of Cadiz. 

On his return from the shores of Egypt, the 
noble admiral watched with anxious expectation 
for the enemy in the Sicilian seas till the middle 
of April. It was not till then that he received 
the disagreeable intelligence that he had been 
misled. His penetrating mind now conjectured 
that nothing but the British West- Indies could 
be the object of the enemy, and thither he deter- 
mined to pursue them. Having arrived at the 
mouth of the Streights of Gibraltar, he put into 
Tetuan Bay on the 2d of May, where he took 
on board water and other necessaries. In the 
night of the 4th the squadron weighed, and being 
close under Ceuta, the Spaniards opened a fire 
on the ships, but none of their shot reached 
them. They came to an anchor in the bay of 
Gibraltar on the 5th, and passing, the next day, 
through the Streights, arrived at Lagos Bay on 
the 10th. Here the admiral took in some stores 



£70 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OT 

from the transports, which were with Sir John 
Orde off Cadiz when he first discovered the 
French fleet, and which had run into the bay for 
safety. Here too his lordship received positive 
information that the combined squadrons had 
proceeded to the West-Indies. 

Inspired with fresh ardor, he flew on the wings 
of the wind in pursuit of the foe, sensible of the 
mjschiefs that must result to his country from the 
loss of her West-India possessions. INIay the 1 1th, 
he weighed from Lagos Bay, and v.dth a fleet of 
ten sail of the line and three frigates,"^ steered for 
Madeira, which was seen by the squadron on the 



* The names of his lordship's companions in this memo- 
rable chace ought not to be omitted. His fleet consisted 
of the following vessels : 

Ships, Guns. Commanders. 

^ Vice-Adm. Lord Nelson, 

Victory .- HO > Kear-Admiral Murray, 

) Captain T. Hardy. 

Canopus 80 ) Rear-Adrairal T. Louis. 

Le Tigre ---- 80 Captain Hallowell. 

Donegal 80 Malcolm. 

Spencer ^"4 Hon. R. Stopford. 

Conqueror 74 I. Pellew. 

Superb 74 R. G. Keates. 

Belleisle 74 W. Hargood. 

Leviathan 'J^ H. Bayntun. 

Swiftsure 7-4 Rutherford. 

Decade 36 Stuart. 

Amazon 38 Parker. 

Amphion 32 Sutton. 



f 



LORD NELSON. 271 

15th. Leaving that island, the admiral sailed 
without intermission till the 1st of June, when he 
spoke two vessels bound for England, who in- 
formed him that the combined fleet had passed 
Barbadoes ten days before, and was then at Mar- 
tinique. During this pursuit the mind of the gal- 
lant admiral incessantly dwelt on the hope of fal- 
ling in with the enemy. He one day observed, 
with great glee : — '^ There is just a French- 
man a piece for each English ship, leaving me 
out of the question to fight the Spaniards, and 
when I haul down my colours, I expect every 
captain of the fleet to do the same, but not till 
then/' 

After a passage of twenty-four days from Cape 
St. Vincent, his lordship arrived on the 4th of 
June at Barbadoes. The French fleet, from 
which the squadron of Admiral G ravin a had se- 
parated, had reached Martinique on the 14th of 
May, and on the 27th had taken the Diamond 
Rock, with the little English garrison by which it 
was defended. At Martinique they remained 
upwards of three weeks, taking in water and pro- 
visions, without attempting any thing either 
against the British islands or the inferior squa- 
drons under Admirals Cochrane and Dacres. 

At Barbadoes the noble admiral received in- 
formation that the hostile fleet had sailed to at- 
tack Trinidad. Two thousand troops under Ge- 



il72 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

neral Sir William Myers* were immediately em- 
barked, and having been joined by Admiral 
Cochrane with two ships of the line, Lord Nelson 
again set sail the day after his arrival to the 
southward. Anticipation already beheld in the 
Gulph of Paria another Aboukir. 

Being now nearly certain of meeting with the 
enemy, who had so long eluded his anxious pur- 
suit, his lordship shaped his course for Trinidad, 
On the morning of the 7th he came in sight of 
the island, and discovered that it was under such 
an alarm, that all the signals from the squadron 
could not prevent the troops from blowing up 
Fort Abercromby, and making their retreat to- 
wards the town. This circumstance confirmed 
him in the opinion that the enemy had arrived 
and carried the island, but on entering the har- 
bor, the English colors were perceived flying, and 
he found, to his extreme mortification, that he 
had been once more deceived. 

Patience and perseverance under disappoint- 
ment of this kind, were qualities in which his 
lordship had previously more than one occasion 



* This excellent officer, whose conciliatory conduct, 
while commander of the southern district in Ireland, during 
the critical period of the rebellion, will long be recollected 
with gratitude in that country, died a very few weeks after 
the above event on the 29th July, 1805. 



LORD NELSON. 273 

to exercise himself. Finding*bis information in- 
correct, nothing was left but to go to the north- 
ward, taking all the islands in their turn. Ac- 
cordingly on the 8th, the squadron weighed, and 
the following day reached Grenada, where his 
lordship was informed by the Jason frigate that 
the enemy's fleet had left Martinique the same 
morning, and had been seen steering in a north- 
ern direction. This intelligence inspired him with 
fresh hopes ; after so long a chase he found him- 
self not more than three days' sail behind them, 
and in case they meditated an attack on Antigua 
or any other island, he was confident of render- 
ing that design abortive. 

The French, however, were far from entertain- 
ing any such intention. Villeneuve contented 
himself with the glory he had already acquired 
by the occupation of the Diamond Ptock and the 
capture of the Cyane, of 24 guns ; and having 
been again joined by Gravina, he hastened to re- 
turn to Europe. He had heard of the arrival of 
Nelson, and fled panic-struck by his name from 
the regions of the west, as he had once done from 
his thunders on the shores of Egypt. 

The hero of Aboukir proceeded to Antigua, 

. where dispatches from the governor, Lord La- 

vington, conflrmed the intelligence he had already 

received, namely, that the enemy were gone 

northward, and had been seen from Antigua^ 

2 L 



274 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

very distinctly, four days before. He was now 
convinced that they were returning to Europe, 
and therefore landing the troops with all possible 
dispatch, he hurried away in the hope of over- 
taking them before they should reach any of their 
own ports. On the 14th of June he sailed from 
Antigua, and on the jpth sent off the Decade for 
England, and the Martin sloop to Gibraltar, with 
advice that the combined fleet was on its way to 
Europe. He arrived off Cape St. Vincent on thre 
17th of July, and on the 20th at Gibraltar, 
where he obtained a supply of stores and gun- 
powder. The fresh beef and other provisions for 
the relief of his brave and unwearied crews, were 
wholly procured at Tetuan. This equipment of 
his squadron, together with the arrangements he 
made with Admiral Collingwood, for preventing 
the combined fleet from entering Cadiz, were 
completed in the short space of ^\e days. This 
business being finished, the noble admiral again 
passed through the Streights, and on the 29th of 
July resumed his station off Cape St. Vincent, 
just sixty-three days after his departure from it 
for the Westt Indies. 

Never, id the naval annals of this, or any other 
country, was such an example of promptitude, 
decision, and rapidity displayed as on this occa- 
sion, and great as the noble admiral had shewn 
himself^ in his former achievements, his talents 



XORD NELSON. 275 

never shone with such lustre, and his resources 
were never exhibited to such advantage as in this 
memorable expedition. 

It may even fairly be asserted, that never had 
he before rendered such important services to his 
country. He had rescued, by the mere terror of 
his name, our West-India possessions from the 
jaws of a rapacious foe. In the short space of 
six months he had twice traversed the Mediter* 
ranean and the Atlantic, from the shores of the 
Nile to the Gulph of Mexico. Each succeeding 
disappointment seemed to inflame him with new 
ardour in this unparalleled chace ; and when he 
at length found that the enemy had eluded all his 
diligence, he instantly sent home advice of their 
return, that measures might be taken for the pur* 
pose of intercepting them. 

In consequence of this precaution, a squadron 
of fifteen sail of the line, under Sir Robert Calder, 
was cruising between Ferrol and Corunna, when, 
on the 22d of July, the combined fleet appeared 
in sight. Undaunted by tlie superiority of num- 
bers, the British admiral boldly advanced to the 
attack. Filled with the tremendous idea of Lord 
Nelson, who, like a spectre, haunted the fugi- 
tives, Villeneuve and Gravina concluded that it 
was the squadron under his lordship which they 
had fallen in with. Under this impression, se- 
2 L 2 



276 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

veral of the French and Spanish ships at once 
bore down and attacked the Windsor Castle, of 
9S guns, which they mistook for the flag-ship of 
the noble admiral himself. The San Raphael of 
84 and El Fermo of 74 guns, fell prizes to 
British prowess in this unequal contest. The un- 
favourable weather which ensued, prevented the 
renewal of the action, and gave the enemy an op- 
portunity to escape first into Vigo, and after- 
wards into Ferrol. 

Lord Nelson receiving intelligence of this event, 
proceeded to England, leaving his fleet, except- 
ing the Victory and the Superb, Captain Keates, 
which accompanied him to Portsmouth, under the 
command of Admiral Cornwallis, before Brest. 
He arrived on the 17th of August at Portsmouth, 
and as the Victory had communicated with the 
garrison at Gibraltar, his lordship consequently 
tecame subject to the quarantine regulations. As 
soon as the ship brought up, and he had commu- 
nicated by signal with the port-admiral, he ad- 
dressed the following letter to the collector of the 
customs : 

*< Victory, Spithead, Aug. 18, 1805. 
" The Victory, with the fleet under my command, left 
Gibraltar twenty-seven days ago, at which time there was 
not a fever in the garrison: nor, as Doctor Fellows told 
me, any apprehension of one. The fleet late under my 
command I left with Admiral Cornwallis, on the 1.5th of 



LORD NELSON. 277 

August, at which time they were in the nicst perfect health ; 
neither the Victory nor tlie Superb have on board even an 
object for the hospital j to the truth of which 1 pledge mj 
word of honour. 

(Signed) « NELSON ^ND BRONTE, 

*' To the Collector of the Customs, 
or those whom it may concern." 

In consequence of this letter, the noble admi- 
ral was permitted to land, for the last time, on 
his native shore. An immense concourse of peo- 
ple, who had collected on the ramparts and other 
places, as soon as his flag was discovered, testi- 
fied those feelings which officers, like his lordship, 
never fail to find in their grateful countrymen. 
During the approach of his barge, and on his 
landing, he was hailed with loud and reiterated 
acclamations. He immediately set out for Lon- 
don, where he arrived on the 20th of August. 
The same morning he had an interview with Lord 
Barham, after which he walked to the navy-of- 
fice, Somerset-house, and thence returned to the 
Admiralty. A great crowd of persons thronged 
around, eager to greet with loud acclamations the 
Hero of the Nile and the Saviour of the West In- 
dies. 

While his lordship remained in town, he resided 
at Gordon's hotel, in Albemarle- street; where, 
on the 28th, a deputation from the West India 
merchants, with Sir Richard Neave at their head. 



278 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

waited upon him with an address of thanks for the 
vigor and perseverance which he had displayed in 
the protection of the western colonies.* The 
address being presented by Sir Richard, his lord- 
ship after returning thanks for the honour con- 
ferred upon him, offered his sincere assurance 
that his services were ready to be employed 
wherever his Majesty should be pleased to ap- 
point him. A written answer was likewise sent 
by his lordship to Sir Richard Neave and the 
committee, to this effect : *' I beg leave to ex-^ 

* The resolutions of the Committee on this subject were^ 
as follow : — 

Extracts from the Minutes *of Meetings of the West Jnditt 

Merchants, August 23, 1805. 

" Sib Richard Neave, Bart, in the Chair. 

*' Resolved, That the prompt determination of Lord 
Nelson to quit the Mediterranean in search of the French 
fleet, his sagacity in judging of and ascertaining their course, 
his bold and unwearied pursuit of the combined French 
and Spanish squadrons to the West Indies, and back again 
to Europe, have been very instrumental to the safety of the 
West India islands in general, and well deserve the grate- 
ful acknowledgments of every individual connected with 
those colonies. 

" llesolved. That a deputation from the Committee of 
Merchants of London trading to the West Indies, be ap- 
pointed to wait on Vice- Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, to 
express these their sentiments, and to offer him their un- 
feigned thanks. 






LORD NELSON. tlQ 

press to you and the committee of West-India 
merchants, the great satisfaction I feel in their 
approbation of my conduct. It was, I conceived, 
perfectly clear that the combined squadrons were 
gone to the West Indies, and therefore it became 
my duty to follow them, — But, I assure you, from 
the state of defence in which our large islands are 
placed, with the number of regular troops, nu- 
merous, well-disciplined, and zealous militia, I 
was confident not any troops which their com- 
bined squadron could carry, would make any im- 
pression upon any of our large islands before a 
very superior force would arrive for their re* 
lief/^ 

In the mean time the combined fleet at Ferrol, 
having been reinforced by the Spanish squadrons 
of Admirals Grandellana and Gourdon, sailed 
again on the 4th of August, to the number of 34 
ships of the line, before any English naval force 
arrived off that, port, and on the 22d this formi- 
dable fleet put into Cadiz. Sir Robert Calder join- 
ing the division under Admiral Collingwood, 
blocked them up with 26 sail of the line in that 
harbor. Sir Robert being ordered home, Lord 
Nelson was appointed to the chief command on 
that station. 

Government had received ample proof that the 
abilities and zeal of his lordship were equal to any 
contingency. He was therefore entrusted with 



!280 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

powers more unlimited than were ever confided 
to any naval commander. His instructions were, 
at the same time, the most concise that could 
possibly be delivered, merely ascertaining his com- 
mand, which was to extend from Cadiz Bay over 
the whole of the Mediterranean sea ; and he was 
left to act as he pleased in any sudden emergency 
that might require the exercise of his judgment, 
as in his recent pursuit of the combined fleet to 
tlie shores of Egypt and the West Indies. 

Furnished with these powers, so honorable to 
himself and to the government which conferred 
them, his lordship, on the 7th of September, took 
his final leave of the board of admiralty, and 
hastened to Portsmouth to proceed to the station 
assigned him. He went on board his flag-ship, the 
Victory, and accompanied by the Ajax and De- 
fiance of 74 guns, the Agamemnon of 64, and 
the Euryalus of 38, he quitted the shores of Eng- 
land, which, alas! he was destined nevermore 
to behold. 

It would appear, from a variety of circumstan- 
ces, that the hero had a strong presentiment of the 
fate that awaited him. After his last return from 
the West Indies he is said to have frequently ex- 
pressed to his intimate friends, that life had almost 
become burthensome and inditterent to him, and 
that his principal desire of living arose from th& 
wish that he might have an opportunity of meet- 



LOHD NELSON. 281 

ing, once more, the enemies of his country on hi* 
proper element; and declaring his perfect confi- 
dence, that, whenever he should next encounter 
them, he should either return to his country a 
corpse, or bring the greatest part of the fleet of 
Ijis opponents into a British port. In some of 
the private letters, which he wrote after joining, 
the fleet, he thus expressed himself: " It is the 
first wish of my heart to bring the enemy to ac- 
tion, and to die in the arms of victory." Nay^ 
only the day before his departure from London, 
he called at the house of Mr. Peddison, under- 
taker, in Brewer Street, to whose care the coffift 
presented to him by Captain Hallo well was con- 
fided; and with that familiar good-humour which 
accompanied his address on every occasion, de- 
sired him to have the attestation engraved on the 
lid, " as he thought it highly probable he should 
want it on his return.** 

The wish of his gallant spirit was too speedily 
realized. He joined his fleet off Cadiz, on the 
28th of September, but at such a late hour, 
that the communication of his arrival was not 
made till the following morning. Here he re- 
solved again to adopt the plan he had followed 
off Toulon. He neither remained directly off 
Cadiz, nor within sight of the port. His great 
object was to induce the enemy to venture out.. 
*• Let them come out," he would often say.— 
2 M 



S8S PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

*^ My object is not to induce them by the display 
of all my force to remain in port, but to do every . 
thing in my power to tempt them to come out/' 
In pursuance of this design, he never kept all 
his fleet before Cadiz. This was the manner in 
which it was stationed— The pAiryahis frigate 
was within half a mile of the mouth of the har- 
bor, to watch the enerny^s movements, and give 
bim the earliest intelligence. Off the harbor, 
but at a greater distance, he had about seven or 
eight sail of the line. He remained himself 
off Cape St. Mary with the rest of his fleet, 
and a line of frigates extended and communicat- 
ed between him and the seven or eight sail off. 
Cadiz. The advantage of this plan was, that he 
could receive supplies and reinfoi cements off 
Cape St. Mary without the enemy's being in- 
formed of it, and thus they remained constantly 
ignorant of the real force under his command. 

The Board of Admiralty deserved every praise 
for the active and vigorous exertions they had 
made to place the force under his lordship in the 
best possible state. The combined fleets in Ca- 
diz had engaged their particular attention, and 
three or four additional sail of the line were sent 
out to him from England. Of this reinforcement 
the enemy, from his lordship's judicious method 
of stationing his fleet, remained perfectly igno- 
rant. 



LORD NELSON. 283 

His lordship had received from the Admiralty 
such information as induced him to believe that 
the enemy would soon put to sea. He had ar- 
ranged, before he left London, to assume the 
command of the fleet, a plan by which he would 
fight the enem.y upon a new principle; it was 
extrem.ely simple, but it was no sooner made 
known than it carried conviction to every naval 
oflficer ; it afibrcit d a complete remedy for that 
inconvenient S3'stem which requires a great va- 
riety and frequent changes of signals. '' 1 shall 
never distract my fleet,'' said he, " in the day of 
battle, with a superabundance of signals/' He 
ordered all the captains on board the Victory, 
Jind laid before them his new plan.— It was one 
of the pecuUar features of Lord Nelson's charac- 
ter, to be able, by the clearness and precision of 
his plans and orders, to make every man under- 
stand him in an instant : the new plan carried 
immediate conviction to them— they ail ex- 
claimed, that it could not but be successful. 

On the 1st of Octo!>er he wrote a letter to^ 
one of his most intimate friends, in which there, 
is this passage: ** I believe my arrival was mos-t- 
welcome, not only to the commander of the^ 
fleet, but to every individual in it : and whea I 
came to explain to them my plan of attack, it 
was hke an electric shock — some shed tears — all 
approved. It was new; it was. singular ; it was 



f84 t^ROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

simple ; and from admirals downwards it was re» 
peated — it must succeed if ^ver they will allow 
U8 to get at them/' 

In another letter, dated the 6th of October, 
he wrote, I have not the smallest doubt that the 
enemy are deterrr.ined to put to sea, and our 
battle must soon be fought, although they will 
be so v€ry superior in number to my present 
force, yet 1 must do my best, and have no fears 
but that I shall spoil their voyage ; but my wish 
is to do much more ; and therefore hope that the 
admiralty have been active in sending me ships, 
for it is only numbers which can annihilate. A 
decisive stroke on their fleet would make half a 
peace. If I can do that, 1 shall as soon as pos- 
sible ask to come home and get my rest, at least, 
for the winter. Jf no other inducement was 
wanting for my exertion, this would be suffici- 
ent, for what greater reward could the country 
bestow than to let me come to you, my 

friends, and to dear, dear Merton and to 

come to you a victor, would be victory thrice 
gained 

" October the 7th. Since waiting yesterday, 
I am more and more assured that the combined 

fleet will put to sea. Happy will they be who 

are present, and disappointed will those be who 
are absent.^' 

The noble admiral's desire of a little rest wa» 



LORD NELSON. t85 

a natural consequence of his impaired health. 
He had not been in England more than three 
weeks, after his unprecedented exertions for the 
preservation of the West Indies, when he was again 
called upon to take the command off Cadiz. He had 
declared this short interval of repose the happiest 
days of his life, and he had greatly recovered from 
his fatigue. He did not, however, hesitate a mo- 
mejit to obey the call of his country, and just be^ 
fore he went upon the service which ternainated 
his glorious career, he said to his friend Admiral 
Stirling, *^ My health is so bad that I ought to 
retire, but as my generous country seems to think 
I could do something, if I were to meet the 
enemy 1 feel it to be a duty to do what 1 can. I 
shall therefore go, and hope I shall be able to 
meet and conquer them ; and I shall think my 
hfe gloriously sacrsficed in such a cause.'^ 

His health was far from being re-established 
when he joined the fleet. Only two days after 
he assumed the command, he was seized with a 
violent spasm, which lasted several hours. Of 
this attack be gives the following account in a 
letter to an intimate friend, dated the 1st of Oc- 
tober ; — " 1 have had, about four o'clock this 
morning, one of my dreadful spasms, which has 
almost enervated me. It is very odd : I was 
hardly ever better than yesterday. I slept un- 



£86 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

commonly well, but was awoke with this disor- 
der. My opinion of its effect some day has never 
altered ; however, it is entirely gone off. The 
good people of England will not believe that rest 
of body and mind is necessary for me ; perhaps 
this spasm may not come again these six months. 
1 had been writing seven hours yesterday.^ — Per- 
haps that had some hand in bringing it on.'' 

One of the last letters he wrote was dated 
about a fortnight before the battle in which he 
yielded his invaluable life. The following is an 
extract : 

'* The reception I met with on joining the fleet 
caused the sweetest sensation of my life. The 
officers who came on board to welcome my re- 
turn, forgot my rank as commai.der-in chief in 
the enthusiasm with which the^^ greeted me. As 
soon as these emotions were past, 1 laid before 
them the plan 1 had previously arranged for at- 
tacking the enemy, and it was not only my plea- 
sure to find it generally approved, but clearly 
perceived and understood. The enemy are still 
in port, but something must be immediately done 
to provoke or lure them to a battle. My duty 
to my country demands it, and the hopes centered 
in me will, I hope in God, be realized. In less 
than a fortnight expect to hear from me, or of 
me ; for who can foresee the fate of battle. Put 



LORD NELSON. £87 

up your prayers for my success, and may God 
protect all my friends I" 

The commanders of the combined fleet had re- 
ceived orders to put to sea the first opportunity 
that should be afforded them, either if the Bri- 
tish fleet should be weakened by detachments, or 
compelled by stress of weather to quit the block- 
ade of Cadiz. Their object is supposed to have 
been, to collect in their passage the squadron at 
Carthagena, and to proceed to Toulon, where, 
being joined by the vessels in that' port, they 
would have formed a fleet of between 40 and 50 
sail, with which it was their design to prevent, if 
possible, the sailing of any expedition with Bri- 
tish troops from Malta, or with Russian troops 
from Corfu. The course they were steering and 
the account given in Vice-Admiral CoUingwood's 
subsequent dispatches, justify this presumption. 

Admiral Louis had been detached on the 19th 
of October by Lord Nelson, with seven sail of the 
line to Tetuan Bay, for provisions and other ne- 
cessaries. The enemy were informed of this cir- 
cumstance, and conceiving that the British fleet 
w^as reduced to about twenty sail o( the line, they 
resolved to seize an opportunity so favorable foi 
executing the peremptory commands they had re- 
ceived. On the 20th, Admiral Vilieneuve and 
four other admirals, with 33 sail of the line, 7 
■frigates, and 8 corvettes got under weigh, and on 



^88 PROFESSIONAL LIFE O? 

the 21st fell in with his lordship, with 26 ships of 
the line, a few leagues from Cape Trafalgar. 

The heroic Nelson now saw within his 'reach 
the enemy of whom he had been so long in pur- 
suit. When he found that he had placed them in 
such a situation that they could not avoid an en- 
gagement, he displayed the utmost animation,, 
and his usual confidence of victory; he said to 
Captain Hardy,* and the other officers who sur- 

* This brave officer, the pupil and the friend of the 
heroic Nelson, first brought himself into notice when lieu- 
tenant of La Mmerve, by the capture of La Mutine, a 
French corvette, in the road of Santa Cruz, in the island of 
Teneriffe. He commanded the boats of the frigates La 
Minerve and Lively, which were dispatched on this ha- 
zardous enterprize. In defiance of a smart fire of musketry 
from the brig, he boarded and carried her almost immedi- 
ately. This gave an alarm to the town, whence a heavy 
fire of artillery and musketry was opened, as well as from 
a large ship lying in the road. Li spite of the enemy's 
fire, which continued without intermission for nearly an 
hour. Lieutenant Hardy succeeded in towing the brig out 
of the reach of the batteries, to which, for want of wind, 
they were for a considerable time much exposed. For the 
gallantry he had displayed in this ?ifFair, the Earl of St. 
Vincent rewarded Lieutenant Hardy with the command of 
La Mutine, which appointment was confirmed by the Ad- 
miralty. His services with the fleet under Lord Nelson 
in the Mediterranean have been fully described. In 1801, 
Captain Hardy was appointed to the Isis, of 50 guns, and 
on the re-commencement of hostilities in 1803, accompa- 
nied his Lordship in the Victory, which he has commandeel 
till the present time. 



LORD NELSON. £89 

rounded him on the quarter-deck, " Now they 
cannot escape us ; I think we sh.ill at least make 
sure of twenty of them — I f.hall probably lose a 
leg, but that will be purchctsing a victory cheap- 
ly/' About twelve at noon the action began, 
and the last siu^ual before it commenced was a 
private signal by telegraph — a signal too empha* 
tjc ever to be forgotten—*' England expects eve- 
ry man to do his duty/' The conduct of their 
leader was fully adequate to rouze the British 
officers to deeds of hardy enterprize. It was his 
intention to have begun the engagement by pas- 
sing ahead of the Bucentaure, the flag ship of 
Admiral Villeneuve, that the Victory might be 
ahead of that ship and astern of the Santissima 
Trinidada, but the Bucentaure shooting ahead, his 
lordship was obliged to go under her stern, raked 
her, and luffed up on her starboard side. The 
Bucentaure fired four broadsides at the Victory 
before his lordship ordered the ports to be open- 
ed, when the whole broadside, which was double- 
shotted, was fired into her, and the discharge 
made such a tremendous crash that the Bucen- 
taure was seen to heel. A short time after this 
Admiral Villeneuve sent below to enquire the 
number of her then killed and wounded, w^hich 
proved to be the amazing number of 365 killed 
and 2J9 wounded. He immediately ordered his 
flag to be struck, the Bucentaure being then 
2 N 



290 PROFESJSIONAL LI^^ OF 

dismasted and quite unmanageable. Lord Nel- 
son, upon this, shot ahead to the Spanish Admi- 
ral's ship, the superb Santissima Trinidada, Witb^ 
this same Santissima Trinidada he had already^ 
gained the highest honor in grappling, during the-^ 
action off Cape St. Vincent, on the 1 4th of Fe- ■ 
bruary, 1797. Sl>e was the largest ship in the 
world, carried 136 guns, and had four decks.' 
The hero ordered the Victory to be carried along- ^ 
side his old acquaintaiK:e, as he called her, and'; 
to be lashed to this tremendous opponent. The 
conflict was horrible; the enemy were engaged 
at the muzzle of their guns. A dreadful carnage 
was made in the Spanish ships, which were full olF 
men. The Santissima Trinidada had on board 
l600 including a corps of troops, among whom 
were some sharp-shooters. 

The conflict had continued with great obsti- 
nacy for two hours, when Lord Nelson was con- 
versing with his first lieutenant, Mr. Pascho, 
Captain Adair, of the marines, and Mr. Scott, 
his secretary, admiring the gallant style in which 
Admiral Collingwood led his division into action* 
He was suddenly saluted with a shower of mus- 
ketry from the tops of the Trinidada, which was 
repeated briskly for several rounds. Mr. Scott 
was killed by a musket-ball, which entered his 
head. He instantly fell down dead, and Captais 
Adair shared the same fate. Lieutenant Pascho 



lORD NELSON. 291 

received a wound, and out of 1 10 marines sta- 
tioned on th& poop and quarter-deck, upwards of 
80 were kiikd or wounded. His lordship having 
in the morning put on the stars of his different 
ord rs, the badi.es of honor he had gained in 
ma ly a hard-fought battle, his secretary and 
chaplain intreated him, previous to the engage- 
ment, to take them off, fearing, but too justly, 
that his dress might expose him. " No,'' re- 
plied the hero, " in honor I gained them; in 
honor I will die in them." Captain Hardy ob- 
serving from the manner in which the sharp- 
shooters fired, that it was their object to single 
ont tlie officers, repeatedly requested Lord Nel- 
son to change his coat, or to put on a great-coat 
over it. The undaunted admiral answered he 
had not time. Too soon were Captain Hardy^s 
appreliensions verified. A shot from the main- 
top of the Bucentaure carried away part of the 
epaulet, and penetrating through the star, entered 
his left breast, and took a direction through the 
vital parts— he staggered against the officer near 
him, and was immediately carried below. The 
surgeons were busily employed upon the wound- 
ed — his lordship desired, as on a former occa- 
sion, to take his turn. As soon as the surgeon 
examined the wound, he saw it was mortal. The 
gallant hero had his eyes fixed attentively upon 
*liim-*-lie saw the surgeon turn pale, and his coua- 
2 N 2 



^9'2 PROFESSIONAL LIFE Of 

tenance assume the deepest impression of grief — ^ 
*' it is mortal, I see/' said he. The surgeon did 
not, or could not speak. He desired to be placed 
upon a chair, and directed Captain Hardy to at- 
tend him. He spoke no more of his wound, ex- 
cept when he first communicated to the captain 
the surgeon's conviction. He employed the 
short time he lived in dictating orders relative to 
the battle, in receiving reports, in enquiring what 
was the condition of the enemy, and what ships 
had struck. He lived about an hour, during 
wliich time he remained perfectly collected, and 
displayed the same heroic magnanimity in the 
arms of death that had marked his conduct in^ 
every action of his glorious life. To the last 
moment he was able to give directions with the 
utmost clearness and precision. 

Like General Wolfe breathing out his life on 
the heights of Abraham, he inquired " whether 
the enemy gave way ?'* He was gratified with the 
intelligence conveyed to him almost every mo- 
ment, that more of the enemy's ships had struck. 
As life ebbed fast away, the number augmented. 
He was told that fifteen had struck ; he seemed 
enraptured with the intelligence. The last that 
struck before his death was the superb Santissima 
Trinidada. When he heard that she had struck, 
he appeared convulsed with joy ; he lived but a 
few mjoments afterwards.— With that piety which 

6 



LORD NELSON. 295 

had ever formed a distinguished feature of his 
character, he returned thanks to God that he 
bad permitted him to die in the arms of victory. 
He desired his blessing to be conveyed to all 
^Yho were the nearest to his heart ; and whom he 
could have wished to have again embraced. " I 
know I am dying," said he ; '* I could have 
wished to survive to breathe my last on British 
ground, but the will of God be done." He laid 
his head upon the shoulder of Captain Hardy, 
who remained with him to the last, and in a few 
moments his gallant soul escaped for ever! 

*< Hold ! pride of Albion ! more thou canst not will ; 
Fale drops the scale — the main is Britain's still I 
Thy country's safe, unparallel'd thy fame. 
Go — seize the crown no h^ro else can claim,** 
So spake the Genius of the British shore. 
That o'er Trafalgar mark'd the battle's roar. 
Great Nelson's spirit ey'd the starry prize. 
And mid a blaze of glory pierced the skies. 

Just before his dissolution he spoke in raptures 
of the event of the day, and sent his last instruc- 
tions and his regards to Admiral Collingwood, de- 
siring, " that he would make his affectionate 
fai ewel to all his brother seamen throughout the 
fleet !" 

Such was the end of Horatio Lord Viscount 
Kelson, of whom we may truly say, we fear that 
'*■ We ne'er shall look upoa his like again .'* 



t94 I^ROF^SSIONAL LIFE OF 

It was known on board the Trinidada that^t^ie 
British admiral had been wounded, and the mo?, 
inent he fell there was a general shout on board:^^ 
the Spanish ship. Short, however, was the exul- 
tation of her €rew, wlx) were soon obliged to 
strike to the irresistible prowess of the British 
tars. After this conquest the Victory subdued a 
third ship, which closed the engagement with 
her. 

Admiral Colllngwood with his division of the 
British fleet, was meanwhile closely engaged with 
the rear of tlie enemy. The Royal Sovereign, 
indeed, was in action twenty minutes before any 
other ship. Her opponent was the Santa Anna, 
of 112 guns, bearing the flag of Vice- Admiral 
Don Ignatio d'Aliva. During the conflict the 
Royal Sovereign had the misfortune to be dis- 
masted, on which the Euryalus, Captain Black- 
wood, was sent to her assistance. Such was the 
spirit of the men even in this situation, that they 
hailed her with : " My little ship, heave our head 
round, that our broadside may bear, and we shall 
Boon be at the sally-port." The Euryalus then 
hove her head round, and she gave the Santa 
Anna a broadside that crushed her side in. After 
Captain Blackwood had performed this service. 
Admiral Collingwood sent him to the Vic- 
tory, to enquire after Lord Nelson, Captaia 
Blackwood went in his own boat, which was 



16RD NELSON* 295 

rowed down the whole fleet. * It is an honor* 
able agreement between two contending fleets that 

* The Hon. Captain Blackwood is the sixth, and young, 
est son of a noble Irish family. He acquired the rudiments 
of his profession under the late Admiral Macbride, and 
■was present in some of the most brilliant actions during the 
Ainerican war. At different periods, and in various quar- 
ters of the globe, he has served under all the great admirals 
of the present reign. He served under Lord Howe in the 
Royal Charlotte as his signal midshipman during the period 
of the Spanish armament. In the memorable 1st of June, 
1794, he was first lieutenant of the Invincible, of 74 guns, 
which captured the Juste, of 84, after a close action of two 
hours, yard-arm and yard-arm. On the return of the fleet 
to Portsmouth, he was made master and commander, and 
appointed to the Megara fire-ship attached to the Channel 
fleet under Lord Howe. He was next promoted to the 
Brilliant frigate, of 28 guns, in which, after chasing a Spa- 
nish frigate of superior force under the batteries of Tene- 
riffe, he was engaged by La Vertu and La Regeneree 
French frigates, of 44 guns each. La Vertu first brought 
him to action, but was beaten off with the loss of her fore- 
mast. He maintained a contest equally successful with 
her consort, and ccaped. On his return he was made post, 
and rewarded for this exploit with the command of tlie 
Penelope, a fine new frigate, of 36 guns, and attached to 
Lord Nelson's fleet in the Mediterranean. In this ship, 
■which for discipline, sailing, and raanoeuvring was the ad- 
miration of every officer who saw her, he was stationed by 
his lordship off the harbor of Malta, to watch the Guiilaume 
Tell, of 84 guns. His conduct in the subsequent action 
•with that ship has been described above, and amplejustice 
was done to it by both the British and French commanders* 



296 VROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

they never fire on the frigates, nor on any cutter 
or boat, unless they make part of the opposing 
force. Captain Blackwood got on board the Vic- 
tory through one of the ports, while she was en- 
gaging the Santissima Trinidada, and there re- 
ceived the melancholy intelligence of the death of 
the commander-in-chief. 

The Santa Anna soon afterwards struck to the 
Tonnant, of 84. and was taken possession of by 
a lieutenant, an officer of marines, and sixty ma- 
rines and seamen. The dreadful hurricane v^hich 
succeeded the battle, drove the Santa Anna to- 
wards the shore, and there was every reason to 
suppose, as her starboard side was beaten in, that 
she Vv'ould go down. The British seamen being 
insufficient to manage this large ship, the com-^ 
manding ofiicer, as is usual in caplured vessels, 

~- .. - ... , ., ,. , . :■ ., ■' ... ' -a 

The laUer^ in his official letter, ascribes his capture to the 
intrepidity of the captain of the English frigate in pre* 
viously bringing him to action, and damaging his rigging. 
He was entrusted with the charge of towing this prize into 
port. In the expedition against the French in Egypt, 
Captain Blackwood again had an opportunity of distin- 
guishing himself. At the commencement of the present 
war, he was among the foremost to press forward to serve 
Lis country, and was immediately appointed to the Eury- 
alus, then just launched, in which he acquired new distinc* 
lion for his activity and ability on the coast of Ireland 
under Lord Gardner, at Boulogne under Lord Keith, and 
vff Cadiz under Lord Nelson. 



LORD NELSON. 297 

required some of the prisoners to Assist. The 
storm still continued in all its fury, and these 
men, instead of aiding in the preservation of the 
ship, rose upon the EngUsh, and being joined by 
the rest of the crew, made them prisoners of war, 
and ran the ship into Cadiz. These miscreants, 
however, who after being beaten in fair fighting, 
struck their colors and accepted quarter, whea 
another broadside would have sent them to the 
bottom, and yet behaved in this dishonorable 
manner, were not Spaniards, but Frenchmen, by 
whom the ship was entirely manned. When the 
weather moderated, the Spanish commandant of 
Cadiz, with that honor by which his nation has 
often been distinguished, sent off the British sea- 
men and marines in a cartel to the Sirius. 

Both the French and Spaniards fought despe- 
rately ; the former seemed desirous of clearing 
themselves from the imputation thrown upon 
them by the latter, after the action with Sir Ro- 
bert Calder, of having wished to make the Spa- 
niards bear the brunt of the battle. Admiral 
Gravina is said to have declared, that he had 
been thrust forward in that action, but that he 
would this time make the French take an equal 
share ; they did so, and both fought bravely. — 
Many of our ships had two or more on them at 
a time. The Temeraire was boarded by two ships 
at once ; they poured upon the quarter-deck ia 
2q 



£98 FROrESSIONAL LIFE OF 

great numbers, rushed to the flag-stafi, and tore 
down the colours. Our gallant tars were in the 
highest degree enraged ; they immediately turned- 
to— cleared the deck of every one of the enemy ; 
most were killed, the rest were forced overboard ; 
the colours were hoisted amidst loud huzzas, and 
the two ships which had boarded her, v/ere forc- 
ed in their turn to strike their colours. It is 
worthy of remark, and perhaps a similar instance 
never occurred in the history of naval combats, 
that after the gallant crew of the Temeralre had 
carried the two ships opposed to her, they turned 
the enemy's guns to good account during the re- 
mainder of the action. 

Capt. Freemantle, in the Neptune, of 98 guns, 
had two Spanish ships of the same force to con-^ 
tend with, and in consequence of the calm which 
prevailed, brought both his broadsides to bear so 
effectually on his opponents as to carry away all 
their masts; and though he himself lost, compa- 
ratively, but few men, the slaughter on board the 
Spaniards when they struck was truly dreadful. 

The Dreadnought, Captain Conn, having dis, 
masted her antagonist in the most gallant style, 
passed on to the Prince of Asturias, bearing the 
flag of the Spanish commander-in-chief. She 
made from the Dreadnought with all sail, but 
not until she had been raked with three tremen* 
dous, and well-directed broadsides. 



LORD NELSON. £99 

The Leviathan, Captain Bayntun, after passing 
through th6 enemy's line, dismasted her oppo- 
nent, raked the Santissima Trinidada, and passed 
on the St. Augustine, one of seven who appeared 
to be coming to surround her. She was silenced 
in a quarter of an hour, and the gallant crew of 
the Leviathan making her fast with a hawser, 
towed her into the fleet with the English jack fly- 
ing, ller fire now ceased for a short time, bi;t 
only to be renewed with fresh animation. The 
French ship LTntrepide had, by distant firmg, 
cut the sails and rigging of the Leviathan, but 
three more British ships coming up, after a noble 
resistance she was compelled to surrender. 

In the Earl of Northesk the commander-in- 
chief found a worthy second, and a gallant emu- 
lator ol his great example. The Britannia, (Old 
Ironsides, as our brave sailors call her) certamly 
did no discredit to the glorious name she bears ; 
she broke through the enemy's line, astern of 
their fourteenth ship, pouring in on each side a 
most tremendous and destructive fire, and spread- 
ting havock and dismay wherever she went. In 
a few minutes, she totally dismasted a French 
eighty-gun ship, from which a while hankerchief 
was waved in token of submission. Leaving her 
to be picked up by some of our frigates, the Bri- 
tannia passed on to others of the enemy, and con- 
xiinued engaging frequently on both sides, and 
* 2 o 2 



500 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

with two or three at a time, with very little inter- 
mission, for upwards of four hours. 

The Beileisle was totally dismasted within one 
hour after the commencement of the action. 
Notwithstanding the misfortune, her brave com- 
mander. Captain Hargood, by the dexterous use 
of his sweeps, brought his broadside to bear upon 
his two opponents, so as to maintain an effective 
fire upon them during the remainder of the en- 
gagement. The battle lasted four hours, and a 
dead calm prevailing the whole of the day, every 
shot told and did some execution; but four of 
the British ships were so becalmed, that they 
w^ere unable to share the glory of the conflict, 
which, with their co-operation, would probably 
liave proved still more decisive. 

On the surrender of the Bucentaur, an officer 
and one hundred men were sent to take possession 
of her. They conducted themselves with that mo- 
deration and forbearance to a vanquished enemy 
which is characteristic of Britons. The violent 
storm, which so soon followed the engagement, 
prevented the removal of the prisoners, and drove 
the Bucentaure towards Cadiz, when the French- 
men, from' their superior numbers, were easily . 
enabled to regain possession of the ship, and carry 
her into the harbour, where, however, she was 
stranded, and completely wrecked. The crew, 
and the party of Englishmen, were taken off the 



LORD NELSON. 301 

wreck by the boats of one of the French frigates 
in the harbour, and carried on board of the ves- 
sel. The infamous and cowardly crew of the 
frigate, when they saw some of the gallant con- 
querors of their admiral and his fleet completely 
in their power, unarmed, and exhausted with 
fatigue and shipwreck, and incapable of resist- 
ance — in this situation did these dastardly French- 
men, in revenge for the defeat they had sustain- 
ed, assault and treat with the utmost cruelty, and 
with every species of insult and inhumanity, many 
of the unfortunate and defenceless English pri- 
soners, whom the fury of the elements, and not 
the fate of battle, had thus subjected to their 
power. 

Upwards of one hundred of our gallant sea- 
men perished during the gale of wind after the 
action, in their generous efforts to save the pri- 
soners out of the different prizes. Among the 
numerous and singular exertions that were made 
on this occasion, by all the ships of the fleet, the 
conduct of Captain Malcolm, and the crew of 
the Donnegal, who, at the imminent hazard of 
being totally lost, rescued hundreds of the enemy 
from a watery grave, is particularly w^orthy of 
notice.-^ — During the violence of the gale, when 
that ship was riding at anchor near the Berwick, 
then in possession of the English, some of the 
French prisoners on board the prize, in a fit of 
madness or desperation, cut the cables of the 



S02 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Berwick, in consequence of which she immedi- 
ately drove towards the dangerous shoals of St. 
Lucar, then to leeward, v/here there was hardly 
a chance of a man beinoj saved. In this situation 
Captain Malcolm, vvdtbout hesitation, ordered 
the cables of the Donnegal to be instantly cut, 
and stood after the Berwick, to which be dis-^ 
patched his boats, with orders first to save all the 
wounded Frenchmen, before they brought off any 
of the English, which order was most punctually 
complied with ; the English were next removed ; 
but, before the boats could return, the Berwick 
struck upon the shoals, and every soul on board 
perished, to the number of 300, The wounded 
Frenchmen, who were thus saved, v/ere supplied 
with the cots and bedding which had been pre* 
pared for our own sick and wounded ; and, after 
being treated with every kindness and mark of 
attention, they were sent into Cadiz by a flag of 
truce, with all the cots and bedding in which 
they had been placed, that they might suffer as 
little pain or inconvenience as posssibie in their 
removal. Another trait of generosity of a sea- 
man of this ship deserves to be recorded. On 
the 25th of October, whilst the Donnegal was 
at anchor off Cadiz, in a violent gale of wind, 
one of the Spanish prisoners fell overboard. 
Though the sea was running so high that they 
had not ventured to hoist out a boat for twelve 



LORD NELSON. 303 

hours before, two seamen belonging to the Don- 
negal immediately jumped overboard after him, 
in hopes of saving his hfe, to the admiration of 
the Spaniards, who were lost in astonishment at 
so daring an act. The poor man, however, sunk 
and was drowned, just as one of the English 
seamen had nearly got hold of him; a boat was 
immediatnly lowered, and fortunately the two 
gallant fellows were got safe on board again. 

The hero of Aboukir sunk to rest on the bosom 
of Victory, which crow^ned the last achievement 
of his life with a glory that even eclipsed the lus- 
tre of all his former exploits. Nineteen sail of 
the line were the prize of this dear-bought con- 
quest. Among the prisoners was Villeneuve. 
himself, v;ho at first was almost frantic with 
grief and despair. He considered his defeat as a 
dream, and could scarcely persuade himself that 
he was a prisoner, and that his fine fleet had, in 
the short space of four hours, been consigned to 
total destruction. 

Soon after the action, the Santissima Trinidada 
sunk, with all on board her, and the Achille, a 
French 84, blew up. The Pickle sr,hooner used 
uncommon exertion in picking up the men, and 
succeeded in getting safe on board l60 of her 
crew, who were put below, and offered every ac- 
commodation. The gratitude of the Frenchmen, 
however, by no means kept pace with the huma- 



S04 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

nity of our brave tars; very few of them seemed 
grateful for their lives, or acknowledged the kind- 
ness and attention shewn to them. Scarcely were 
they left by themselves, before they began to con- 
cert measures for capturing the schooner; but 
being overheard by an officer, he fastened down 
the hatches, and by that means preserved the ship. 

Many of the officers and seamen, who were in 
this tremendous conflict, have stated, that they 
were astonished to see such a large fleet destroyed 
in so short a time. The masts and rigging fell over 
the sides of the enemy^s ships with such rapidity, 
that it appeared more the effect of machinery 
than any thing that could have been produced by 
tlie force of a cannonade in an engagement. 

The details of this glorious encounter, and the 
operations of the British fleet subsequent to it, 
are thus officially given by the successor of the 
heroic Nelson, Admiral (now Lord) Coilingwood. 

<* Euryalus, otf Cape Trafalgar, 
Oct. 22, 1805. 
*' SIR, 

« The ever-to-be-lamented death of Vice-Admiral Lord 
Viscount Nelson, who, in the late conflict with the enemy, 
fell in the hour of victory, leaves to me the duty of inform- 
ing my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that on the 
19th instant, it was communicated to the Commander in 
Chief, from the ships watching the motions of the enemy in 
Cadiz, that the combined fleet had put to sea ; as thty sailed 
with light winds westerly, his Lordship concluded theip 
destination was the Mediterranean, and immediately made 



LOTID NELSON. 305 

all sail for tlie Streight's entrance, with the British squa- 
dron, consisting of twenty-seven ships, three of tbern sixty- 
fours, where his Lordship was informed by Captain Black- 
wood (whose vigilance in watching, and giving notice of 
tlie enemy's movements, has been highly meritorious), that 
they had not yet passed the Streights. 

*' On Monday, the 21st inst. at day-light, when Cape Tra- 
falgar bore E. by S. about seven leagues, the enemy was 
discovered six or seven miles to the eastward, the wind 
about west, and very light, the Commander in Chief imme-r 
diately made the signal for the fleet to bear up in two 
columns, as they are formed in order of sailing, a mode of 
attack his Lordship had previously directed, to avoid the 
inconvenience and delay, in forming a line of battle in the 
usual manner. The enemy's line consisted of thirty-three 
ships (of which eighteen were French and fifteen Spanish) 
commanded in chief by Admiral Villeneuve ; the Spaniards, 
under the direction of Gravina, wore, with their heads to 
the northward, and formed their line of battle with great 
closeness and correctness, but as the mode of attack was 
unusual, so the structure of their line was new; — it formed 
a crescent, convexing to leeward, so that in leading down 
to their centre, I had both their van and rear abaft the beam ; 
before the fire opened, every alternate ship was about a 
cable's lerigtlj to windward of her second a-head and a- 
stern, forming a kind of double lines and appeared, when 
on their beam, to leave a very little interval between them, 
and this without crowding their ships. Admiral Villeneuve 
was in the Bucentaure in the centre, and the Prince of 
Asturias bore Gravina's flag in the rear; but the French 
and Spani-h ships were mixed without any apparent regard 
to order of national squadron. 

" As the mode of our attack had been previously deter- 
mined on, and communicated to the flag-officers and cap- 
2 P 



S06 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

tains, few signals were necessary, and none were made> 
except to direct close order as the lines bore down. 

" The Commander in Chief, in the Yicto rj, led the wea* 
ther column, and the Royal Sovereign^ which bore nij 
flag, the lee. 

*^ The action began at twelve o'clock, by the leading 
ships of the columns breaking through the enemy's line, the 
Commander in Chief about the tenth ship from the Tan, the 
tsecond in command about the twelfth from the rear, lead- 
ing the van of the enemy unoccupied ;. the succeeding ship» 
breaking through^ in all parts, a-stern of their leaders, and 
engaging the enemy at the muzzles of their guns ; the con- 
flict was severe ; the enemy's ships were fought with a gal- 
lantry highly honorable to their officers, but the attack on 
them was irresistible ; and it pleased the Almighty Dispose? 
tf all events, to grant his Majesty's arms a complete and 
glorious victory : about three p, ra. many of the enemy ^s 
ships having struck their colours, their line gave way ; 
Admiral Gravina, with tea ships, joining their frigates lo= 
leeward, stood towards Cadiz. The five headmost ships ia 
their van tacked, and standing to the southward, to wind- 
ward of the British line, were engaged, and the sternraost 
of them taken ; the others went off, leaving to his- Majesty's- 
squadron nineteen ships of the line (of which two are first 
rates, the Santissima Trinidada and the Santa Anna), with 
three flag officers^ viz. Admiral Villeneuve (the Commander 
in Chief), Don Ignalio Maria D'Aliva, Vice-Admiral, and 
the Spanish Rear-Hdmiral, Don Baltazar Hidalgo Cisne- 
ros. 

'' After such a victory, it may appear unnecessary to enter 
into encomiums on the particular parts taken by the several 
commanders jthe conclusion says more on the subject than 
I have language to express ; the spirit which animated aU 



LORD NELSON. 307 

was tlie same ; when all exert themselves zealously in their 
country's service, all desire that their high merits should 
stand recorded ; and never was high merit more conspi- 
cuous than in the battle I have described. 

" The Achille (a French 74), after having surrendered, 
by some mismanagement of the Frenchmen, took fire, and 
blew up; two hundred of her men were saved by the ten- 
ders. 

*' A circumstance occurred during the action, which sq 
ftrongly marks the invincible spirit of British seamen, when 
engaging the enemies of their country, that I cannot resist 
the pleasure I have in making it known to their Lordships; 
the Temeraire was boarded by accident, or design, by a 
French ship on one side, and a Spaniard on the other -, the 
contest was vigorous, but, in the end, the combined ensigni 
were torn from the poop, and the British hoisted in their 
places. 

'' Such a battle could not be fought without sustaining a 
great loss of men. I have not only to lament, in common 
with the British navy, and the British nation, in the fall of 
the Commander in Chief, the loss of a hero, whose nam^ 
will be immortal, and his memory ever dear to his country; 
but my heart is rent with the most poignant grief for tho 
-death of a friend, to whom, by many years' intimacy, and 
A perfect knowledge of the virtues of his mind, which in- 
spired ideas superior to the common race of men, I was 
bound by the strongest ties of affection ; a grief to which 
even the glorious occasion in which he ftU, does not bring 
the consolation which perhaps it ought ; his Lordship re- 
ceived a musket-ball in his left breast, about the middle of 
the action, and sent an officer to me immediately, with his 
last farewel, and soon after expired. 

*^ I have also to lament the loss of those excellent officers^ 
2 P 2 



808 PBOFESSIONAL LIFE OV 

Captains DufF* of the Mars, and Cooke of the Bellerophon ', 
I have yet heard of none others. 

'^ I fear the numbers thai have fallen will be found very- 
great when the returns come to me ; but it having blown a 
gale of wind ever since the action, I have not yet had it in 
mj power to collect an}' reports from the ships. 

" The Royal Sovereign having lost her masts, except the 
tottering foremast, I called the Euryalus to me, while the 
action continued, which ship lying within hail, made mj 
signals, a service Captain Blackwood performed with great 
attention. After the action, I shifted my flag to her, that 
I might more easily communicate my orders to, and collect 
the ships, and towed the Royal Sovereign out to seaward. 
The whole fleet were now in a very perilous situation, 
many dismasted, all shattered, in thirteen fathom water, 
off the shoals of Trafalgar; and when T made the signal to 
prepare to anchor, few of the ships had an anchor to let go, 
their cables being shot; but the same good Providence 
which aided us through such a day, preserved us in the 
night, by the wind shifting a few points, and drifting the 
ships off the land, except four of the captured dismasted 
ships, which are now at anchor oiF Trafalgar, and I hope 
will ride safe until those gales are over. 

*' Having thus detailed the proceedings of the fleet on this 
occasion, I beg to congratulate their Lordships on a victory, 
which, T hope, w411 add a ray to the glory of his Majesty's 
crown, and be attended with public benefit to our country, 

" I am, &c. 
»' William Marsden, Esq. '^ C. COLLINGWOOD. 

* Captain Duff had on board the Mars, during the action, two sons, 
one aged twelve, the other about fifteen. Early in the contest the first 
had both his legs carried away by a shot ; the second fell soon afterwards; 
and to complete the distressing group, the father himself was added to 
the list of the slain. 



LORD NELSON. 



S09 



^ The Order in uhich the Ships of the British Squadron at- 
tacked the Combined Fleets on the 21s« of October, 1805. 



VAX. 

Victory 

Temeraire 

Neptune 

Conqueror 

Leviathan 

Ajnx 

Orion 

Ai^aniemnoii 

Minotaur 

Spartiaie 

Britannia 

Africa 

Enrjalus 

Sirius 

Phabe 

Naiad 

Pickle Schooner 

Enlreprenaate Cutter 



REAR. 

Hoyal Sovereign 

Mars 

Beiieisle 

Ton n ant 

Bellcrophon 

Colossus 

AchiUe 

Polyphemus 

Hevenge 

Swiftsure 

Defence 
Thunderer 

Defiance 

Prince 

DreadnouG:ht 



'C. COLLING Vv'OOD." 



^^ GENERAL ORDER. 

" Euryalus, Oct. ^2, 1805. 
'^TflE ever-to-be-lanrented death of Lord Viscount Nelson, 
Duke of Bronte, the Commander-in-Chief, who fell in the 
action of the 21st, in the arms of victory, covered with 
glory, whose memory will be ever dear to the British navy, 
and the British nation, whose zeal for the honor of his king, 
and for the interests of his country, will be ever held up 
as a shining example for a British seaman, leaves to me a 
duty to return my thanks to the Right Honorable Rear- 
Admiral, the Captains, Officers, Seamen, and detachments 



310 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

of Royal Marines, serving on board his Majesty's squadron 
aow under my command, for their conduct on that day: 
;but where can I find language to express ray sentiments of 
the valor and skill which were displayed by the Officers, 
the Seamen, and Marines, in the battle with the enemy, 
where every individual appeared an hero, on whom the 
glory of his country depended j the attack was irresistible, 
and the issue of it adds to the page of our naval annals, a 
brilliant instance of what Britons can do, when their King 
«nd their countr^^ need their service. 

*' To the Right Honorable Rear-Admiral the Earl of 
Northesk, to the Captains, Officers, and Seamen, and to 
the Officers, Non-commissioned Officers, and Privates of tlie 
Royal Marines, I beg to give my sincere and hearty 
thanks for their highly meritorious conduct, both in the 
action, and in their zeal and activity in bringing the cap- 
tured ships out from the perilous situation in which they 
were, after their surrender, among the shoals of Trafalgar, 
4n boisterous weather. 

*' And I desire that the respective captains will be pleased 
to communicate to the Officers, Seamen, and Royal Ma- 
rines, this public testimony of my high approbation of their 
conduct, and my thanks for it. 

C. COLLINGWOOD; 
" To the Right Honorable Rear-Admiral 

the Earl of Northesk, and the respective 

Captains and Commanders." 

*' GENERAL ORDER. 

^' The Almighty God, whose arm is strength, having of his 
great mercy been pleased to crown the exertion of his 
Majest^f's fleet with success, in giving them a complete 
victory over their enemies, on the 21st of this month ; and 
^hat ail praise and thanksgiving may be offered up to the 



LORD NELSON. $11 

throne of Grace for the great benefits to our country and 
to mankind, 

'' I have thought proper, that a day should be appointed 
of general humiliation before God, and thanksgiving for 
this his mercilul goodness, imploring forgiveness of sins, a 
continuation of his Divine mercy, and his constant aid to 
us, in the defence of our country's liberties and laws, with' 
out which the utmost efforts of man are nought, and direct 
therefore that , be appointed for this purpose. 

*' Given on board the Euryalus, off Cape Trafalgar, 22d 
October, 1805. 

'' C. COLLINGWOOD. 
*' To the respective Captains and Commanders. 

" N. 'S. The fleet having been dispersed by a gale of 
wiiid, no day as yet has been able to be appointed for this^ 
holy purpose. 



" Euryalus, off Cadiz, Oct. 24, 1805. 

*' SIK, 

*' In my letter of the 22d, I detailed to you, for the 
information of my lords commissioners of the admiralty, the 
proceedings of his Majesty's squadron on the day of action^ 
and that preceding it, since vvhich, I have had a continued 
series of misfortunes ; but they are of a kind that human 
prudence could not possibly provide against, or my skill 
prevent. 

" On the 22d, in the morning, a strong southerly wind 
blew^, with squally weather, which, however, did not pre- 
vent the activity of the officers and seamen of such ships as^ 
were manageable from getting hold of many of the prizes 
(thirteen or fourteen) and towing them off to the westward, 
•when T ordered them to rendezvous round tlie Royal 
Sovereign, in tow by the Neptune ; but, on the 23d, the 
gale increased, and the sea ran so high, that many of therat 



512 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

broke the tow-rope, and drifted far to leeward before tbe5r 
were got hold of again, and some of them, taking advan- 
tage in the dark and boisterous night, got before ihe wind, 
and have perhaps drifted upon the shore, and sunk r on the 
afternoon of that day, the remnant of the Combined Fleet 
ten sail of ships, who had not been much engaged, stood up 
to leeward of my shattered and straggled charge, as if 
meaning to attack them, which obliged me to collect a force 
out of the least injured ships, and form to leeward for theii 
defence ; all this retarded the progress of the hulks, and the 
bad weather continuing, determined me to destroy all the 
ieewardmost that could be cleared of the men, considering, 
that keeping possession of the ships was a matter of little 
consequence, compared with the chance of their falling 
again into the hands of the enemy ; but this was an arduous 
task in the high sea which was running. I hope, however, 
it has been accomplished to a considerable extent : I in- 
trusted it to skilful officers, who would spare no pains to 
execute what was possible. The captains of the Prince and 
Neptune cleared the Trinidad, and sunk her. Captains 
Hope, Bayntun, and Malcolm, who joined the fleet this 
moment from Gibraltar, had the charge of destroying four 
others. The Kedoubtable sunk astern of the Swiftsure, 
while in tow. The Santa Anna, I have no doubt, has sunk, 
as her side was almost entirely beaten in ; and such is the 
shattered condition of the whole of them, that unless the 
weather moderates, I doubt whether I shall be able to 
carry a ship of them into port. I hope their Lordships will 
approve of what I (having only in consideration the de- 
struction of the enemy's fleet), have thought a measure 
of absolute necessity. 

" I have taken Admiral Yilleneuve into this ship ; Vice- 
Admiral Don Aliva is dead. Whenever the temper of the 
weather will permit, and I can spare a frigate, (for there 



LORD NELSON. 313 

Ifrere only four in the action with the fleet, Euryalus, Sirius, 
Phoebe, and Naiad ', the Melpomene joined the 22d, and 
the Eurydice and Scout the 23d), I shall collect the other 
flag-officers, and send them to England, \vith their flags, if 
they do not all go to the bottom, to be laid at his Majesty's 
feet. 

" There were four thousand troops embarked, under the 
command of General Contamin, who was taken with 
Admiral Villeneuve in the Bucentaure. 

'' I am^ Sir, &c. 

<' C. COLLINGWOOD." 
« W. Marsden, Esq." 



*' Euryalus, ofl" Cadiz, October 28. 

** SIR, 

*' Since ray letter to you of the 24th, stating the pro- 
ceedings of his Majesty's squadron, our situation has been 
the most critical, and our employment the most arduous 
that ever a fleet was engaged in. On the 24th and 25th, it 
blew a most violent gale of wind, which completely dis- 
persed the ships, and drove the captured hulls in all direc- 
tions. 1 have since been employed in collecting and de- 
stroying them, where they are at anchor upon the coast 
between Cadiz and six leagues westward of San Lucar, 
without the prospect of saving one to bring into port. I 
mentioned in my former letter the joining of the Donegal 
and Melpomene after the action; I cannot sufficiently 
praise the activity of their commanders, in giving assistance 
to the squadron in destroying the enemy's ships. The 
Defiance, after having stuck to the Aigle as long as pos- 
sible, in hopes of saving her from wreck, which separated 
her for some time from the squadron, was obliged to aban- 
don her to her fate, and she went on shore. Captain Dur- 
ham's exertions have been very great. I hope I shall get 
2 Q 



314 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

them all destroyed by to-morrow, if the weather keeps mo- 
derate. In the gale the Royal Sovereign and Mars lost 
their fore-masts, and are now rigging anew, where the body 
of the squadron is at anchor to the N. W. of San Lucar. I 
find that on the return of Gravina to Cadiz, he was imme- 
diately ordered to sea again, and came out, which made it 
necessary for me to form a line, to cover the disabled hulls; 
that niglit it blew hard, and his ship, the Prince of Asturias, 
was dismasted, and returned into port; the Rayo was also 
dismasted, and fell into our hands 3 Don Enrigue M. Douel 
had his broad pendant in the Rayo, and from him I find 
the Santa Anna was driven near Cadiz, and towed in by a 
frigate. 

" 1 am. Sir, &c. 

(Signed) " C. COLLINGWOOD." 
« W. Marsden, Esq." 



"His Majesty's Ship Clueen, off Cape 
«' Trafalgar, November 4, 1805. 
" SIR, 

"On the 28th ultimo Unformed you of the proceedings 
of the squadron to that time. The weather continued very 
bad, the wind blowing from the S. W., the squadron not in 
a situation of safety, and seeing little prospect of getting 
the captured ships off rhe land, and great risk of some of 
them getting into port, I determined no longer to delay the 
destroying them, and to get the squadron out of the deep 
bay. 

The extraordinary exertion of Captain Capel, however, 
saved the French Swiftsure ; and his ship, the Phoebe, to- 
gether with the Donegal, Captain Malcolm, afterwards 
brought out the Bahama. Indeed, nothing can exceed the 
perseverance of all the officers employed in this service. 
Captain Hope rigged, and succeeded in bringing out th(? 



LORD NELSON. 315 

Ildefonso; all of which will, I hope, have arrived safe at 
Gibraltar. For the rest. Sir, I enclose you a list of all the 
enemy's fleet, which were in the action, and how they are 
disposed of, which, T believe, is perfectly correct. 

I informed you, in my letter of the 28th, that the rem- 
nant of the enemy's fleet came out a second time, to en- 
deavour, in the bad weather, to cut off some of the hulks, 
when the Rayo was dismasted, and fell into our hands; she 
afterwards parted her cable, went on shore, and was 
wrecked. The Indomptable, one of the same squadron, 
was also driven on shore, wrecked, and her crew perished. 
The Santa Anna and Algeziras being driven near the 
shore of Cadiz, got such assistance as has enabled them to 
get in ; but the ruin of their fleet is as complete as could 
be expected, under the circumstances of fighting them close 
to their own shore. Had the battle been in the ocean, still 
fewer would have escaped. Twenty sail of the line are 
taken or destroyed ; and of those which got in, not more 
than three are in a repairable state for a length of time. 

Kear-Admiral Louis, in the Canopus, who had been 
detached with the Queen, Spencer, and Tigre, to compietQ 
the water, &c. of these ships, and to see the convoy in 
safety a certain distance up the Mediterranean, joined me 
on the 30th. 

In clearing the captured ships of prisoners, I found so 
many wounded men, that to alleviate human misery a| 
much as was in my power, I sent to the Marquis de Solana, 
Governor-General of Andalusia, to offer him the wounded 
to the care of their country, on receipts being given ; a 
proposal which was received with the greatest thankfulness, 
not only by the governor, but the whole country resounds 
•with expressions of gratitude. Two French frigates were 
sent out to receive them, with a proper officer to give re- 
ceipts, bringing with them all the English who had beea 

2q2 



316 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

wrecked in several of the ships, and an offer from thip 
Marquis de Solana of the use of their hospitals for our 
wounded, pledging the honor of Spain for their being 
carefully attended, 

*' I have ordered rilost of the Spanish prisoners to be 
released ; the officers on parole, the men for receipts given, 
and a condition that they do not serve in war, by sea of 
land, until exchanged, 

'' By mj correspondence with the Marquis, I found that 
Vice-Admiral D'Aiiva was not dead, but dangerously 
wounded ; and I wrote to him a letter, claiming him as a 
prisoner of war ; a copy of which I enclose, together with a 
statement of the flag-officers of the combined fleet. 

" I am, &c. 

" C. COLLINGWOOD . 

*' A List of the Combined Fleets of France and Spam hi the 
Action of 1st October, 1B05, off Cape Trafalgar, shewing 
how they are disposed of 

1. Spanish ship San Ildefonso, of 74 guns. Brigadier Dop 
Joseph de Vargas, sent to Gibraltar. 

2. Spanish ship San Juan Nepomuceno, of 74 guns. Bri- 
gadier Don Cosme Churruca, sent to Gibraltar. 

3. Spanish ship Bahama, of 74 guns, Biigadier Don A. 
J). Galiano, sent to Gibraltar. 

4. French ship Swiftsure, of 74 guns. Monsieur Villema- 
drin, sent to Gibraltar, 

5. Spanish ship Monarca, of 74 guns, Don Jeodoro Argu- 
mosa, wrecked off San Lucar. 

6. French ship Fougeux, of 74 guns. Monsieur Beaa- 
douin, wrecked off Trafalgar, all perished, and thirty of 
the Teraeraire's men. 

7. French ship Indomptable, of 84 guns. Monsieur Hu- 
bert, wrecked off Rota, all perished. 

6. J'tengh ship Bucentaure, of 80 ^uns^ Admiral Vijle*- 



LORD NELSON. 517 

lieuve Commander in Chief; Captains Prigny and Majen- 
die ; wrecked on the Porqiies, some of the crew saved. 

9. Spanish ship San Francisco de Asis, of 74 guns, Don 
Louis de Flores^ wrecked near Kota. 

10. Spanish ship El Kayo, of 1 00 guns. Brigadier Don 
Henrique Macdonel, wrecked near San Lucar. 

11. Spanish ship Neptuno^ of 84 guns. Brigadier Don 
Cayetano Valdes, wrecked between Kola and Catolina. 

12. French ship Argonaute, of 74 guns. Monsieur Epron^ 
on shore in the port of Cadiz. 

13. French ship Berwick, of 74 guns. Monsieur Camas, 
"wrecked to the northward of San Lucar. 

14. French ship Aigle, of 74 guns. Monsieur Courrege, 
wrecked near Rota. 

15. French ship Achllle, of 74 guns. Monsieur de Nieu- 
port, burnt during the action. 

16. French ship Intrepide, of 74 guns. Monsieur Infor- 
net, burnt by the Britannia. 

17. Spanish ship San Augustin, of 74 guns, Brigadier 
Don Felipe X. Cagigal, burnt by the Leviathan. 

18. Spanish ship Santissiraa Trinidada, of 140 guns, 
Rear-Admiral Don Baltazar H. Cisneros, Brigadier Don F. 
Uriarte, sunk by the Prince, Neptune, &c. 

19. French ship Redoubtable, of 74 guns. Monsieur 
Lucas, sunk astern of the Swiftsure ; Temeraire lost thir- 
teen, and Swiftsure five men. 

20. Spanish ship Argonauta, of 80 guns, Don xlntonio 
Parejo, sunk by tlie Ajax. 

21. Spanish ship Santa Anna, of 1\'2 guns, Vice-Admiral 
Don Ignatio D'Aliva, Captain Don Joseph de Gardoqui, 
taken, but got into Cadiz in the gale, dismasted. 

^2. French ship Algeziras, of 74 guns, Rear-Admiral 
Magon (killed). Captain Monsieur Bruard, taken, but got 
into Cadiz in the gale, dismasted. 



318 PROFESSIONAL LIFfi OF 

23. French ship Pluton, of 74 guns. Monsieur Cosmao, 
returned to Cadiz in a sinking state. 

24. Spanish ship San Juste, of 74 guns, Don Miguel 
Gaston, returned to Cadiz, has a foremast only. 

25. Spanish ship San Leandro, of 64 guns, Don Joseph 
de Quevedo, returned to Cadiz dismasted. 

26. French ship Neptune, of 84 guns, Monsieur Mais- 
tral, returned to Cadiz, and perfect. 

27. French ship Heros, of 74 guns, Monsieur Poulain, 
returned to Cadiz, lower masts in, and Admiral Rossilie's 
flag on board. 

28. Spanish ship Principe D'Asturias, of 112 guns. Ad- 
miral Don F. Gravina, Don Antonio Escano, &c. returned 
to Cadiz, dismasted. 

29. Spanish ship Montanez, of 74 guns, Don Francisco 
Alcedo, returned to Cadiz. 

30. French Ship Formidable, of 80 guns, Rear-Admiral 
Dumanoir, hauled to the southward, and escaped. 

31. French ship Mont Blanc, of 74 guns. Monsieur 1« 
Villegries, hauled to the southward, and escaped. 

32. French ship Scipion, of 74 guns, Monsieur Berenger, 
hauled to the southward, and escaped. 

33. French ship Duguay Trouin, of 7i guns, Monsieur 
Touflet, hauled to the southward, and escaped.* 

ABSTRACT. 

At Gibraltar 4 

Destroyed 16 

In Cadiz, wrecks 6? q 

In Cadiz, serviceable sj 

Escaped to the southward ..-...-. 4 



Total 33 



* The four last-mertioned ships were captured by Sir 
Richard Strachan on tiie 4th November, 



LORD NELSON. 319 

A TAst of the Names and Rank of the Flag Officers of the 
Combined Fleets of France and Spain, in the Action of the 
2Ut of October, 1805. 

Admiral Villeneuve, Commander-in-chief; Bucentaure 
— Taken. 

Admiral Don Frederico Gravina ; Principe d'Asturias — 
Escaped, in Cadiz, wounded in the arm. 

Vice-Admiral Don Ignatio Maria d'Aliva; Santa Anna 
' — Wounded severely in the head, taken, but was driven 
into Cadiz in the Santa Anna. 

Kear-Admiral Don Baitazar Hidalgo Cisneros ; Santissi- 
ma Trinidada — ^Taken. 

Rear-Admiral Magon ; Algeziras — KilJed. 

Rear-Admiral Dumanoir ; Formidable — Escaped. 



" Euryalus, off Cadiz, Octobei 27, 1805. 

" MY LORD MARQUIS, 

"A great number of Spanish subjects having been wound- 
ed in the late action between the British and the combined 
fleets of Spain and France, on the 21st instant, humanity, 
and ray desire to alleviate the sufferings of these wounded 
men, dictate to me to offer to your Excellency their en- 
largement, that they may be taken proper care of in the 
hospitals on shore, provided your Excellency will send 
boats to convey them, with a proper officer to give receipts 
for the number, and acknowledge them in your Excellen- 
cy's answer to this letter, to be prisoners of war, to be ex- 
changed before they serve again. 

'' I beg to assure your Excellency of my high considera- 
tion, and that I am, &c. 

«' C. COLLINGWOOD. 
«* To his Excellency the Marquis de Solana, 

Captain-General of Andalusia, Gover- 
i)or, &c. &c. Cadiz." 



320 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Conditions on which the Spanish wounded Prisoners were 
releasedj and sent on Shore to the Hospital. 

I Guillame Valverde, having been authorised and em- 
powered by the Marquis de Solana, Governor General of 
Andalusia and of Cadiz, to receive from the English squa- 
dron the wounded prisoners, and such persons as may be 
necessar}^ to their care, which release, and enlargement of 
the wounded, &c. is agreed to, on the part of the Com- 
mandei' in Chief of the British squadron, on the positive 
condition, that none of the said prisoners shall be emploj^ed 
again, in any public service of the crown of Spain, either 
by sea or land, until they are regularly exchanged. 

Signed on board his Britannic Majesty^s ship Euryalus, 

at sea, 50th October, 1805. 

GUILL. DE VALVERDE, 

EdecandeS. E. 



*< Euryalusj off Cadiz, October 30, 1805. 
" SIR, 

'' It is with great pleasure that I have heard the wound 
you received in the action is in a hopeful way of recovery, 
and that your country may still have the benefit of your 
future service. 

" But, Sir, you surrendered yourself to me, and it was 
in consideration only of the state of your wound, that you 
were not removed into my ship. I could not disturb the 
repose of a man supposed to be in his last moments ; but 
your sword, the emblem of your service, was delivered to 
me by your captain^ and I expect that you consider your- 
self a. prisoner of war, until you shall be regularly exchang- 
ed by cartel. 

" I have the honour to be, &c. 

" C. COLLIN GWOOa 
" To Vice-Admiral Don Ignatio Maria D'Aliva. 

Sent under cover to Admiral Gravina." 



LORD NELSON. J'2l 

An Abstract of the Killed and Wounded on board the respec- 
tive Ships composing the British Squadron under the Com^ 
mand. of the Right Honourable Vice-Admiral Lord Vis- 
count Nelson in the Action of the 2Ut of October, 1805, 
off Cape Trafalgar, with the Combined Fleets of France 
and Spai7i, 

Victory — 4 officers, 3 pettj/ officeis, 32 seamen, and 13 
marines, killed ; 4 officers, 5 petty officers, 59 seamen, and 
9 marines, wounded — ^Total 132. 

Royal Sovereign — 3 officers, ^2 petty officers, 29 seamen, 
«ind 13 marines, killed ; 3 officers, 5 petty officers, 70 sea- 
men, and 16 marines, womided — Total, 141, 

Britannia — 1 officer, 8 seamen, and 1 marine, killed ; 1 
officer, 1 petty officer, 33 seamen, and 7 marines, wounded 
—Total, 52. 

Temeraire — 3 officers, 1 pett}^ officer, 35 seamen, and ^ 
marines, killed ; 3 officers, 2 petty officers, 59 seamen, and 
12 marines, wounded — ^Total, 123. 

Prince, none. 

Neptune — 10 seamen, killed ; 1 petty officer, 30 seamen, 
and 3 marines, wounded — Total, 44. 

Dreadnought — 6 seamen and 1 marine, killed ; 1 officer, 
2 petty officers, 19 seamen, and 4 marines, wounded — 
Total, 33. 

Tonnant, not received. 

Mars — 1 officer, 3 }jetty officers, 17 seamen, and 8 ma- 
rines, killed ', 4 officers, 5 petty officers, 44 seamen, and 

16 marines, wounded- -Total, 98. 

Bellerophon — 2 officers, 1 petty officer, 20 seamen, and 4 
marines, killed; 2 officers, 4 petty officers, 97 seamen, and 
20 marines, wounded — Total, 150. 

Minotaur — 3 seamen, killed; 1 officer, 1 petty officer, 

17 seamen, and 3 marines, wounded — Total; 25. 

2 R 



32^ PROFESSIOMAL LIFE OF 

Revenge — 2 petty officers, 18 searaen, and 8 marines, 
killed, 4 officers, 58 seamen, and 9 marines, wounded — - 
Total, 79. 

Conqueror — 2 officers, 1 seaman, killed ; 2 officers, 7 sea* 
men, wounded— Total, 12. 

Leviathan-'^ seamen and 2 marines, killed; 1 petty 
pfficer, 17 seamen, and 4 marines, wounded — Total, 26. 

Ajax — 2 seamen, killed ; 9 seamen, wounded — ^Total, 1 1. 

Orion — 1 seaman, killed ; 2 petty officers, 17 seamen, 
and 4 marines, wounded— Total, 24. 

Agamemnon — 2 seanien, killed ; 7 seamen, wounded — 
Total 9. 

Spartiate — 3 seamen, killed; 1 officer, 2 petty officers, 
16 seamen, and 1 marine, wounded — Total, 23. 

AJrica — 12 seamen, and 6 marines, killed; 2 officers, h 
petty officers, 30 seamen, and 7 marines, wounded — To. 
tal, 62. 

Belleisle — 2 officers, 1 petty officer, 22 seamen, and 8 
marines, killed; 3 officers, 3 petty officers, 68 seamen, and 
19 marines, wounded — Total, 126. 

Colossus — 1 officer, 31 seamen, and 8 marines, killed; 5 
officers, 9 petty officers, 115 seamen, and 31 marines, 
wounded — Tottil, 200. 

Achille — 1 petty officer, 6 seamen, and 6 marines, killed ; 
4 officers, 4 petty officers, 37 seamen, and 14 marines^ 
■wounded — Total, 72. 

Polyphemus — 2 seamen, killed ; 4 seamen, wounded — • 
Total, 6. 

Su^iftsure — 7 seamen, and 2 marines, killed ; 1 petty offi- 
cer, 6 seamen, and 1 nic,rine, wounded — Total, 17. 

Defend: — 4 seamen, and 3 marines, killed ; 23 seamen 
and 6 marines, wounded — Total, 36. 

Thunderer — 2 seamen, and 2 marines, killed ; 2 petty 
©fficers, 9 seamen, and 1 marine, wounded — Total, 16 



LORD NELSON. SQ,S 

Defiance — ^ officers, 1 petty officer, 8 seamen, and 6 ma- 
rines, killed ; 1 officer, 4 petty officers 39 seamen, and 9 
marines, wounded — Total, 70. 

Total — 21 officers, 13 petty officers, 283 seamen, and lOi 
marines, killed ; 41 officers, 57 petty officers 870 sea- 
men, and 196 marines, wounded — ^Totai, 1587. 

« C. COLLIN GWOOI>. 

Return of the Names of the Officers and Petty Officers hilled 
and wounded 07i hoard the Ships if the British Squadron in 
the Action with the Combined Fleets of France and Spain, 
off Cape Trafaigar, on the 'ilst October, 1805. 



Victory — Tlie Right Hon. Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B. 
Vice-Admiral of the White, Commander in Chief, &c. &c. 
&c.; John Scott, Esq. secretary ; Charles W. Adair, ciip- 
tain royal marines; William Ram, lieutenant; Robert 
Smith and Alexander Palmer, midshipmen; Thomas Whip- 
ple, captain's clerk, 

Jloyal Sovereign-^Bnce Gilliland, lieutenant ; William. 
Chalmers, master ; Robert Green, seror.d lieutenant of 
royal marines; John Aikenhead, and Thomas Braund, 
midshipmen. 

JBritanMia-— Francis Roskruge, lieutenant. 

Temeraire — Simeon Busigny, captain of royal marines; 
John Kingston, lieutenant of royal marines ; Lewis Oades^ 
carpenter; William Pitts, midshipman. 

Prince, none ; — Neptune, none ; — Dreadnought, none. 

Tonnant, no return. 

Mars — George Duff, captain; Alexander Duff, master's 
mate; Edmund Corljn, and Heiiry Morgan, midshipmen. 
2 R 2 



Sit PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Bellerophoii — ^John Goote, first captain ; Edward Over- 
ton, master j John Simmons, midshipman. 

Minotaur, none. 

Revenge — Thomas Grier and Edward F. Brooks, mid- 
hipmen. 

Conqueror — Robert Lloyd, and William M. St. George, 
lieutenants. 

Leviathauy none; — AJax, none; — Orion, none; — Aga- 
memnon, none; — Spartiate, none; — Africa, none. 

^e/Ze/s/e— Ebenezer Geall, and John Woodin, lieute» 
nants; George Nind, midshipman. 

Colossus — Thomas Scriven^ master. 

AchiMe — Francis John Mugg, midshipman. 

PohjphemiLs, none; — Swlftsiire, none; — Defence, none. 

Thunderer, none. 

Defiance — ^Thomas Simons, lieutenant; William Forster, 
boatswain; James Williamson, midshipman. 

WOUNDED. 

Victory — John Pasco, and G. Miller Bligh, lieutenants, 
Lewis B. Keeves, and J. G. Peake, lieutenants of royal 
marines ; William Kivers (slightly), G. A. Westphall, and 
Richard Bulkeley, midshipmen ; John Geoghehan, agent- 
victualler's clerk. 

Royal Sovereign — John Clavell, and James Bashford, 
lieutenants ; James le Vesconte, second-lieutenant of royal 
marines ; William Watson, masterVmate ; Gilbert Kenni- 
cott, Grenville Thompson, John Campbell, and John Far- 
rant, midshipmen ; Isaac Wilkinson, boatswain. 

Britannia — Stephen Trounce, master ; William Grint,. 
midshipman. 



LORD NELSON. 325 

Temeraire — James Mould, lieutenant ; Samuel J. Payne, 
lieutenant of ro^^al marines ; John Brooks, Boatswain ; T. 
S. Price, raaster's-mate ; John Eastman, midshipman. 

Prince, none. 

Neptune — -Hurrell, captain's clerk. 

l^readnought. .J'dmes L. Lloyd (slightly), lieutenant; 
Andrew M^Cullock, and James Saffin, Midshipmen. 

Tonnant. .'No return. 

Mars. -Edward Garrett, and James Black, lieutenants; 
Thomas Cook, master ; Thomas Norman, second captain 
of royal marines; John Yonge, George Guiren, William 
John Cook, John Jenkins, and Alfred Lukraft, midship- 
men. 

Bellerophon. .James Wemyss, captain of royal marines; 
Thomas Kobinson, boatswain ; Edward Hartley, master's- 
mate ; William N. Jewell, James Stone, Thomas Bant, 
and George Pearson, midshipmen. 

Minotaur, — James Robinson, boatswain ; John Samuel 
Smith, midshipman. 

Revenge. — Robert Moorsom, captain (slightly) ; Luke 
Brokenshaw, master ; John Berry, lieutenant ; Peter Lily 
(slightly), captain of ro^'al marines. 

Conqueror. — Thomas Wearing, lieutenant of royal ma- 
rines ; Philip Mendel, lieutenant of his imperial majesty's 
navy (both slightly). 

Leviathan, — J. W. W^atson, midshipman (slightly). 

AJax, none. 

Orion,-^ Sause, C: P. Cable, midshipmen; (both 

slightly.) 

Agamemnon, none. 

Spartiate — John Clarke, boatswain ; — Bellairs and 

■ Knapman, midshipmen. 

Africa — Matthew Hay, acting-lieutenant ; James Tyn- 
more, captain of royal marines ; Henry West, and Abraham 



526 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

Turner, master'smates ; Frederick White (slightly), Phi- 
lip J. Elmhurst, and John P. Bailey, midshipmen, 

BeUeisle — William Terrie, lieutenant; John Owen, firs^ 
lieutenant of royal marines 3 Andrew Gibson, boatswain ; 
William Henry Pearson, and William Culfield, master's 
mates; Samuel Jago, midshipman; J. T. Hodge, volunteer, 
first class. 

Co/ossus— James N. Morris, captain ; George Bully, lieu- 
tenant ; William Forster, acting lieutenant; John Benson, 
lieutenant of royal marines ; Henry Milbanke, master's 
mate ; William Herringham^FrederickTliistlewayte (slight- 
ly),Thomas G. Reece, Henry Snellgrove, Rawden McLean, 
George Wharrie, Tim. Renou, and George Denton, mid- 
shipmen ; William Adamson, boatswain. 

Achille — Parkins Prynn (slightly), and Josias Bray, lieu- 
tenants; Pralms Westroppe, captain of royal marines; Wil- 
liam Leddon, lieutenant of royal marines; George Pegge, 
master's mate ; William H. Staines and Wm. J. Snow, mid- 
shipmen ; W. Smith Warren, volunteer, first class. 

Polyphemus, none. 

Swiftsure — Alexander Bell Handcock, midshipman. 

Defence, none. 

Thunderer — John Snell, master's-mate ; Alexander Gal- 
loway, midshipman. 

Defiance — P. C. Durham, (slightly), captain ; James 
Spratt and Robert Browne, master's mates ; John Hodge 
and Edmund Andrew Chapman, midshipmen. 

C. COLLING WOOD. 

Captain Blackwood, who brought home the 
last of these dispatches from the commander-in- 
chief, delivered the following correction of an 
error which had crept into it ; 



LORD NELSON. 32? 

Admiralty-Office, Nov. 30, 1805. 
*^ SIR, 
'' Observing in the Gazette Extraordinary, of the 27th 
instant, that the number of the eneraj^^s ships taken and 
€lestro3'ed, in consequence of the action of the 21st of Oc- 
tober, is stated at twenty sail of the line, I take the liberty 
of mentioning to you, for the information of ray lords com- 
missioners of the admiralty, that as this must be intended 
to include the French ship Argonaute, of 74 guns, which 
ship I had an opportunity of knowing was safe in the port 
of Cadiz, it will be proper to state the actual number taken 
and destroyed at nineteen sail of the line. This apparent 
inaccuracy was occasioned by the dispatch of the com- 
mander-in-chief, dated the 4th, having been made up be- 
fore ray last return with a flag of truce from that port. 

[ am, &c. HENRY BLACKWOOD. 

*' William Marsden, E^q. 



The four ships of the enemy's van which went 
off to the southward at the conclusion of the en- 
gagement, as mentioned above by Admiral Col- 
lingwood, were French ships, Formidable of 80 
guns, jNlont Blanc and Scipion of 74 guns each. 
Rear- Admiral Dumanoir led on this division to 
the perpetration of a deed worthy of the sangui- 
nary days of a IVIarat or a Robespierre. How- 
ever incredible it may appear, the fact has been 
confirmed by the testimony of many Spanish offi- 
cers of rank, that these wretches, in their flight, 
iired for some time upon the Santissima Triul- 
dada, and the other prizes which had struck to 
the English, by which wanton act of unparalleled 



328 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

ferocity, several hundreds of the Spaniards were 
killed and wounded. 

But it was not long that these savages were 
permitted to felicitate themselves on their good 
fortune. Sir Richard Strachan, who had under 
his command the same number of ships, and of 
exactly the same force, had the good fortune 
to fall in with the fugitives, while cruizing before 
Ferrol, on the night of the 2d of November. The 
next day at noon he brought them to action, and 
after an obstinate engagement of three hours and 
a half, compelled the whole of them to strike. * 

'»• The following circumstance is too intimately connected 
with the lamented hero of these Memoirs, to be omitted 
here. As Colonel Tjrwhitt, with other gentlemen, was 
looking at the prizes taken by Sir Richard Strachan, going 
up Plymouth harbor, on the l^th of November, he observed 
a fine little boy, of an open countenance, cheering with his 
playfellows, who frequently called him Nelson. This being 
several times repeated, raised the curiosity of the gentle- 
man to inquire who the boy was. Colonel Tyrwhitt went 
to the cottage of his father, a quarryman, who lived at 
Rusty Anchor, under the West Hoe. The boy soon after- 
wards arrived, and at first appeared rather shy, but after a 
little conversation his timidity wore off, and he said that 
Lord Nelson was his god-father, but that he was shot and 
killed the other day in a great battle. Ihis served to excite 
the colonel's curiosity, and he entered the hut, where he 
found the father, (who had lost a limb in the Minotaur at 
the battle of the Nile), and his wife and four children, 
clean, though but poorly dressed. He inquired whether it 



I 



LORD NELSON. S29 

Thus, out. of a formidable fleet of 33 sail of the 
line, which sailed from Cadiz on the 20th of Oc- 
tober, only ten remained to the enemy that were 
fiot taken or destroyed. By this stroke they 
lost between 20 and 30,000 seamen, four admi- 
rals, one general, and most of their best officers. 

On the arrival of the intelligence of the splen- 
did achievement at Trafalgar on the British shore, 
one universal sentiment pervaded every bosom. 
That the triumph, great and glorious as it was, 
had been dearly purchased, and that such was 
the general opinion was powerfully evinced in the 

•was true that Lord Nelson was the god-father of the little 
boy, and was answered in the affirmative. The mother then 
produced the certificate of his baptism at the British Fac- 
tory Chapel, Leghorn, in July , 1800, attested by the Rev. 
Mr. Com^^ns, and signed by Lady Hamilton, Sir William 
Hamilton, and Lord Nelson, after whom the child was 
named Horatio Nelson. His mother was washerwoman on 
board the Minotaur when the child was born in the bay of 
Leghorn, and his lordship, when he stood sponsor^ promised 
when the boy grevv up, to give him a nautical education, 
and put him to sea. When he sailed for England, he de- 
sired these poor people to write to him when they should 
be settled, but this, through ignorance, they had neglected 
to do. The Minotaur was paid off at Plymouth, and the 
father, with the aid of his small pension, had by his industry 
contrived to maintain his family ever since. Colonel Tyr- 
whitt immediately resolved to prosecute his lordship's in- 
tentions, and to give the child a regular nautical education 
to fit him fo/ the naval service of his country. 
2 s 



S30 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

deep affliction with which the news of Lord Nel- 
son's death was received. The victory created 
none of 'those enthusiastic emotions in the pubHc 
mind which naval successes have, in every former 
instance, produced. There was not a man who 
did not think the life of thfe hero of the Nile, of 
Copenhagen, and of Trafalgar, too great a price 
for the destruction of twenty sail of French and 
Spanish men of war. No ebullitions of popular 
transport, no demonstrations of public joy, mark- 
ed this great and important event. The honest 
and manly feeling of the people appeared in the 
manner it ought ; they felt an inward satisfaction 
at the triumph of the favorite arms ; they mourn- 
ed with all the sincerity and poignancy of domes* 
tic grief, the death of their hero. 

* And they did weep, dear was the hero of their souls j 
he went out to battle, and the foe vanished !' 

When the painfully pleasing intelHgence was: 
transmitted to their Majesties at Windsor, the 
queen called the princesses around her, and read 
the dispatch aloud, while the whole royal group 
dropped a tear to the memory of Nelson. His 
Majesty in particular was deeply afflicted. — 
A proclamation was issued for a day of thanks- 
giving to be held on the 5th of December, 
for the signal and important victory obtained 
by his lordship; and his Majesty was pleased 
to confer on his brother and heir the dignity of a 



LORD NELSON. Sol 

Tiscount and earl. The official notice to that ef- 
fect was made in the following terms : 

" Whitehall, Nov. 9.— His Majesty has been- 
pleased to grant to the Rev. WilUam Nelson, 
D. D. now Lord Nelson, brother and heir to the- 
late Lord Viscount Nelson, who, after a series 
of transcendent and heroic services, fell gloriously 
on the 21st of October last, in the moment of 
brilliant and decisive victory, the dignity of a 
Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of 
Great Britain and Ireland, by the names, styles, 
and titles, of Viscount Merton and Earl Nelson, 
of Trafalgar, and of Merton, in the county of 
Surry, the same to descend to the heirs male of 
his body lawfully begotten, and in default there- 
of, to the heirs male successively of Susanna, 
wife of Thomas Bolton, Esq. and Catharine, wife 
of George Matcham, Esq. sisters of the late Lord 
-Viscount Nelson/' 

Admiral Collingwood, the worthy successor of 
his lordship, was created a peer of Great Bri- 
tain * He was not only confirmed in the com- 

* Lord Collingwood was the pupil of Admiral Roddam, 
hj whom he was first brought forward in his profession. 
In Lord Howe's engagement on the 1st of June, 1794, he 
was captain of the Barfleur, of 98 guns, the flag-ship of 
Rear-Ad miral Bowyer. To Lord St. Vincent's Auctory over 
the Spanish fleet in 1797, the exertions of Captain Colling- 
wood in the Excellent most materially contributed. His 
'J S Q 



£32 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

maiid of the fleet in the Mediterranean, but iili 
consequence of the intrepidity, skill and pru- 
dence he had manifested, the admiralty invested 
him with the same extensive powers entrusted to 
his immortal predecessor. 

The Prince of Wales, after the first emotions 
of his sorrow for the loss of such a distinguished 
officer, whom he had long honored with his con- 
fidence and esteem, directed a letter to be writ- 
ten to Mr. Angerstein, in which his Royal High- 
ness expressed a confident hope, that from the 
ardent zeal which he and his patriotic coadjutors 
had manifested on all great national occasions, 
some public memorial would arise, under their 
auspices, on which the high achievements of Lord 
Nelson might be durably recorded to future ages. 
His Royal Highness concluded by requesting, 
that to any plan which should be thus proposed, 
and adopted, his name might be added, with the 
sum of fiwe hundred guineas annexed to it. 

After such a circumstantial detail of the life 
and transactions of the late Lord Viscount Nel- 
son, the reader will not expect any long and la- 
bored eulogy of his character. With that he 
must already be so intimately acquainted, as to 
render it superfluous to enlarge on the subject. 



services are admirably stated by the incomparable hero of 
these Memoirs, in his remarks on that glorious day, which 
are contained in the second chapter of this volume. 



XORO KELSON. 333 

His actions themselves record his virtues and his 
talents with greater energy and eloquence than 
the tongue of the orator, or the pen of the histo- 
rian. To pass them over entirely in silence would, 
however, be unpardonable. 

Lord Nelson was one of those great and rare 
productions which justify the boldest flights of 
poetry when panegyrizing the highest virtue, va- 
lor, public spirit, and patriotism, of which man 
is capable. He was one of those who maintained 
the competition of modern times with the proud- 
est days of Greece and Rome. Never did the 
annals of the world present a more exalted in- 
stance of personal valor, of superiority to every 
little passion, of devoted patriotism, than it has 
been the fortune of Britain to behold in Lord 
Nelson. With courage the most ardent he com- 
bined piety the most sublime, and to the great- 
est avarice of glory he joined unusual modesty.* 

* The annexed letter, froro his lordship to Lady Nelson, 
written during his pursuit of the French fleet, previous to 
the battle of the Nile, afl'uids a most impressive lesson on 
the emptiness of human vanity and self-conceit : 

Vanguard, St. Peter's Island, off Sardinia, 
May 24, 1798. 

" MY DEAREST FANNY, 

'' I OUGHT not to call what has happened to the Van- 
guard by the cold name of accident. I believe firmly it 
-was the Almighty goodness, to check ray consummate va- 
^aity J t hope it has made me a better officer, as I feel it has 
3 



334 PROFESSIONAL LITE OP 

Never was man better qualified for the station 
he filled : he was indisputably the greatest admi- 
ral the world ever produced. Other commanders 
have afforded eminent proofs of skill, courage, 
and good conduct, but he possessed all the re- 
quisite qualities in a pre-eminent degree. Ori- 
ginal in his ideas, he was never confined by the 
routine of practice, or the maxims of those who 
are fearful of deviating from the beaten path. 
Ever fertile in resources, his plans embraced al- 
most every possible situation in which he could 
be placed ; and he possessed the faculty of ex- 
plaining his ideas with such clearness and preci- 
sion to those who were to co-operate with him, 
that every one under his command knew what 

.made me a better man. I kiss with all humility the rod. 
Figure to yourself, on Sunday evening, at sun-set, a vain 
man walking in his cabin, with a squadron around him, 
who looked up to their chief to lead them to glory, and in 
whom their chief placed the firmest reliance, that the 
proudest ships, of equal numbers, belonging to ^France, 
would have bowed their flags, and with a very rich prize 
lying by him. Figure to yourself, on Monday morning, 
when the sun rose, this proud, conceited man, his ship dis- 
masted, his fleet dispersed, and himself in such distress, 
that the meanest frigate out of France would have been an 
unwelcome guest. But it has pleased Almighty God to 
bring us into a safe port, where, although we are refused 
the rights of humanity, yet the Vanguard will, in two days, 
get to sea again as an EngUsh man of war.** 



LORD NELSON. S3& 

part he liad to act withGiit the delay of farther 
€ommunication. Intelligent, as well as bold in 
his coi^eptions, he discerned that to be practi- 
cable which the coldness of regular maxims re- 
' garded as impossible, and scarcely found diffi- 
culty where others had placed invincible obsta- 
cles. As prompt in execution as he was rapid in 
decision, his actions immediately followed his^ 
counsels; and his antagonists knew not which 
most to apprehend, the wisdom of his plans, or 
the celerity with which they were executed. Like 
Alexander, his attacks seemed to anticipate the 
notice of his approach, and his enemies were sur- 
prised to find themselves conquered before they 
expected the commencement of the contest. 

Never was leader better acquainted with the 
art of infusing into his gallant followers the same 
heroic sentiments that animated his own bosom. 
A thorough seaman himself, nursed in the lap of 
hardship, he knew how to adapt his behavior to 
those he commanded, and never did an officer 
possess their affections in a higher degree. To 
this love and veneration he was not only indebted 
for his early successes, but even for his life, as 
there was scarcely one of his crew who would not 
have sacrificed himself to save his commander. 
A striking instance, how much he was adored by 
his men, occurred during the last fatal conflict 
off Trafalgar. A seaman of the Victory was un- 



SS6 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

der the hands of the surgeon, suffering the ainpu- 
tation of an arm. '* ^S ell/' said he, " this, by some 
would be considered a misfortune; but I shall 
be proud of it, as I shall resemble the more our 
brave commander-in-chief.'* Before the opera- 
tion was finished, tidings was brought below that 
Lord Nelson was shot ; the man, who had never 
shrunk from the pain he had endured, started 
from his seat, and exclaimed — " Good God ! I 
would rather the shot had taken off my head, and 
spared his life V' 

Nor must this veneration be entirely attri- 
buted to that unreserved participation which his 
lordship took, in all the dangers to which his 
followers were exposed. Humanity was a power- 
ful principle of his soul. Never was there a com- 
mander who devoted such incessant and such mi*- 
nute attention to every thing that could contri- 
bute to the health, happiness, and comfort of his 
crews. To this attention must be ascribed the 
high state of health in his fleet,* and its constant 



•* As it is presumed that tliis attempt to delineate the ac- 
tions of the greatest naval commander that, perhaps, eyer 
existed either in ancient or modern times, may be honored 
with the perusal of officers of the same profession, the fol- 
lowing facts are subjoined, not only as illustrative of the 
character of his lordship, but in the hope that an imitation 
of his measures may tend to promote the welfare ^of the 
service. 



LORD NELSON. 537 

readiness to sail at a moment's notice to any 
quarter where its services might be required. 

From an official account of the state of health in Lord 
Nelson's fleet, manned with Irom 6000 to 8000 seamen and 
marines, during two years campaign in the Mediterranean 
and West Indies, it appears that the total number of deaths 
on board were 100 ; of men sent to the hospital, 141 ; and 
of the medium number on the sick lists, 190 ; or 18 to each 
ship, nearly. The following causes are assigned by Dr. 
Gillespie, the physician to the fleet, fur the high state of 
health in which it has been preserved, unexampled perhaps 
in any squadron heretofore employed on a foreign station : 

1. " To the attention paid by his lordship to the victual- 
ing and purveying for the fleet, in causing good wholesome 
wine to be used in room of spirits ; fresh beef as often as 
could possibly be procured ; vegetables and fruit were 
always provided in a sufficient quantity, when they could 
be purchased ; and an abundant supply of excellent sweet 
water was always allowed to the ship's company. 

a. " The ships were preserved, as far as possible, from 
the baneful efi'ects of humidity, b}^ avoiding the wetting of 
the decks, (at least between the decks) by the use of stoves 
and ventilators below. 

3. '' The constant activity and motion in which the fleet 
was preserved, being always at sea, and never exposed to 
the consequences of the idleness and intemperance which 
too often take place on board of ships lying in harbour, 
may doubtless be assigned as a principal cause of the good 
state of health of the crews of this fleet. 

4. " Intemperance and skulking were never so little prac- 
tised in any fleet as in this ; as the ships were rarely or never 
in port, the opportunity of procuring spirits, or going to 
an hospital, by imposing on the surgeon, were difficult or 

2 T 



S38 PROFESSIOKAL LIFE OF 

Of the humanity and generosity of his lord- 
6hip numerous instances might undoubtedly be 

impossible, hence these causes of disease were subtracted. 

5. " Cheerfulness amongst tlie men was promoted by 
music and dancing, and theatrical amusements : the exam- 
ple of which was given by the commander in chief in the 
A^ictory, and may with reason be reckoned amongst the 
causes of the preservation of the health of the men. 

6. " The sick were in general very comfortably accom- 
modated, lodged in airy sick births, in many ships placed 
on a regular sick diet, and supplied with live stock, vege- 
tables, fruit, soft bread, macaroni, and other articles of 
diet and refreshments, whenever the circumstances of the 
service, and the situation of the fleet, would admit of these 
supplies being furnished. 

7. ^' By a standing order of the commander in chiefj 
Peruvian bark mixed in wine or spirits, was regularly 
served to the men employed in the wooding and watering 
service ; a drachm of Peruvian bark to one gill of spirits, or 
two of wine, was the proportion allowed for each man ; to 
be administered in divided proportions, on going on shore, 
and on returning on board. The method followed was to 
give the bark in a small quantity of wine or spirits, and to 
wash it down with a glass of wine or spirits, mixed with an 
equal proportion of water ; it was found that the spirits 
answered better as a vehicle for the bark than the wine, as 
was experienced on board some of the ships, in which wine 
had been used, but afterwards left off, and spirits were 
used in lieu thereof. — By the returns made hy the respec- 
tive surgeons of the ships to the physician to the fleet, re- 
porting on the eilBcac}' of this mode of prevention of the 
fevers, which might have been occasioned in consequence 
€f the fatigue and exposure to the weather, and immersion 



LORD NELSOiN. 339 

adduced from his private life by those who were 
most intimately acquainted with them. The 
traits which are subjoined, will, however, be suf- 
ficient to illustrate the feelings that ever swayed 
his bosom. — During his visit to Salisbury, in 
December, 1800, his eye was attracted by a 
sailor, among the crowd assembled before the 
council-house, who proved to be one of those 
who had fought under his lordship at the battle 
of the Nile. The recollection of a man who had 
hazarded his life with himself for the glory of his 
country, associated with the idea of his having 
been one among the many humble instruments of 
his own exaltation, instantly touched his heart. 
He called him forward, and after expressing the 
cordial satisfaction he should ever feel in meeting 
with anyone who had borne a part in that proud 
day, he dismissed the tar with a handsome pre- 



in water by the seamen in wooding and watering ; it fully 
appears that the practice entirely obviated every ill effect 
which might have been occasioned with regard to the health 
of the wooding and watering parties ; and that it effec- 
tually prevented the occurrence of fevers, whether inter- 
mittent or continued. This is the more worthy of remark, 
as it is well known to experienced officers in the navy, that 
on foreign stations sickness very often finds its way into 
ships of war, from the wooding and watering parties beincr 
first attacked by fevers, in consequence of fatigue and ex- 
posure, which fevers often spread amongst the ship's com- 
pany, and become a formidable and epidemic disease/' 
2x2 



340 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

5ent.— Another man appeared, who had met with 
a like misfortune at the Helder to that which his 
lordship experienced at Teneriffe. The simila- 
rity of his own situation with the predicament of 
the poor man before him, banished every cir- 
cumstance of distinction from the brave admiral's 
mind, and excited his sympathy. The only dif- 
ference it allowed him to recollect was, that of 
bis own better fortune, of which he soon availed 
himself to give his fellow-sufferer a generous token 
of his commiseration. — It is a fact not more sin- 
gular than true, that among the applauding mul- 
titude whom his presence had assembled, he 
next discovered a person who had attended 
him at the time he lost his arm, and who had 
assisted at the amputation. The noble admiral 
beckoned him up stairs, and meeting him as he 
approached the room, took him by the hand, 
with a present in his own, and with a look ex- 
pressive of grateful remembrance of the service 
he had rendered him on that occasion. As the 
man retired, he took from his bosom a piece of 
lace, which he had torn from the sleeve of the 
amputated arm, declaring, he would preserve it 
till his last breath, in memory of his late gallant 
commander, whom he should always deem it the 
highest honor of his life to have served. Lord 
Nelson bade him adieu, with an emotion which 
he was unable to suppress. 



LORD NELSON. 341 

The talents of this extraordinary man were 
equalled only by his modesty. Of this quality 
which never fails to shed augmented lustre on 
merit, 'numberless instances will be found re- 
corded in these memoirs. One more will not, 
however, be deemed superfluous.— When he was 
once receiving the meed of well-earned applause 
at a royal table, he observed, with the generosity 
which ever accompanies genuine worth, that his 
successes were owing to his good fortune, which 
had placed him in those stations ; " for,^^ added 
he, " there are many other officers who would 
have done as much under similar circumstances : 
one I will venture to name-— Christopher Parker.'' 
That gallant admiral (who died in May, 1804) 
was the early companion and intimate friend of 
Lord Nelson, 

This noble warrior likewise afforded a distin* 
guished example of a virtue which, by some, has 
unjustly been thought almost incompatible with 
his profession. The life and actions of Lord 
Nelson breathe a spirit of unfeigned piety, which 
must not only have had the happiest influence on 
the minds of his brave companions, but will not 
be lost on those who shall hereafter emulate his 
career of glory. He went out to meet the enemies 
of his country, confiding in the strength of the 
God of battles. ''Twas this confidence that in- 
spired him with designs of unexampled boldness, 



342 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

that filled his soul with the courage, the compo* 
sure, and the contempt of danger, which marked 
all his undertakings. 'Twas this that preserved 
him from the infection of that vanity, in which 
the human mind is too much inclined to indulge, 
and that led him, instead of assumina; to himself 
the merit of his successes, to ascribe all the glory 
of his achievements to the arm of the Almighty. 
Such was Horatio Lord Nelson, whose proud- 
est honor, he has been heard to say, was to 
be called a British Sailor, and to whom may 
justly be applied the impressive words, employed 
on a similar occasion : ''As his life was honora- 
ble, so was his death glorious. His memory will 
be recorded in the annals of his countrj^, and 
embalmed in the recollection of a grateful pos- 
terity.'^ He had run his career of glory, he had 
*' fought this good fight,'' and now enjoys the 
crown of a brilliant immortality. With th€ 
author of the Night Thoughts we may say : 

Sorae, when they die, die all ; their mould'rlng chiy 

Is but an emblem of their memories : 

The space quite closes up through which the^^ pass'd. 

That HE has liv'd, lie leaves a mark behind, 

Shall pluck the shining page from vulgar time. 

And leave it whole to late posterity. 

Of the truth of a remark, v/hich Lord Nelson 
has been frequently heard to make, " that per- 
severance in any profession will most probably 

5 



LORD NELSON. 345 

meet its reward, without the inf:uence of any 
contingent int<^,rest/' he afforded in his own per- 
son a striking instance. The history of his life 
shews what diht^ence may accomphsh and what 
indolence has cften lost ; it inspires the despond- 
ing mind with new energy, and furnishes the per- 
severing with fresh hope. 

" The splendor of that genius/* as it has been 
justly observed, "which enveloped all his plans in 
the blaze of conviction, will continue to light his 
successors to the brightest and most dazzling tri- 
umphs. He lives in the companions of his voy- 
ages and his victories ; he survives in the grati- 
tude and admiration of his countrymen ; he will 
never cease to breathe in those who were fired 
with the glories of his reputation and the splen- 
dor of his achievements. The fire of genius is 
the electricity of the soul, but the spark once 
communicated, dwells in a congenial mind. 
There was not, perhaps, in the catalogue of his 
many transcendent qualities, one that contributed 
more effectually to the public service, than this 
effect of his extraordinary genius. He not only 
excited the ardor of those of his own profession, 
but the greatness of his character kindled a corre- 
spondent sentiment in almost every class of so- 
ciety. This was particularly the case with the 
rising generation ; not a school-boy could ever 
read of the exploits of this immortal herO; with- 



344 PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF 

out feeling his little heart swell with eagerness 
and ambition to tread in his illustrious footsteps. 
There are many instances of the original destina- 
tion of children having been changed in obedi- 
ence to this impulse. Among others, a fine boy, 
the son of Mr. McCarthy, was so irresistibly smit- 
ten with the desire of participating in the lustre 
of the perils and the triumphs of the hero of the 
Nile, that his father was induced to alter his views 
for him, and to indulge his noble ambition. The 
little warrior was a sharer in the glory of that day, 
which terminated the mortal career of his heart's 
idol. But the principles that induced him to fol- 
low the fortunes of that great admiral will never 
expire. The spirit of Nelson will survive in all 
those, to whom he imparted by instruction or ex- 
ample the elements of his transcendent genius.* 
That spirit which took its flight on the wings of 
victory to the regions of immortal bliss, will still 
hover round the navy of England, the temple of 
his fame, and descending to the latest posterity, 
will animate the hardy sons of Britain to pursue 



* The following extempore lines will not be thought un- 
worthy of a place here : 

His parting breath each sailor catches 
And mournful bids the sad adieu. 
But tho* his body^s under hatches. 
His spirit lives among the crew. 



1.0RD NELSON. 345 

his glorious career, and to emulate bis matchless 
achievements V 

By his will Lord Nelson appointed his brother 
and Mr. Hazlevvood his executors. It was made 
under the impression, that he should have little 
to bestow, excepting the glory he had so nobly 
acquired. Avarice, or a solicitude for private 
emolument were qualities of too mean a stamp 
to enter into the composition of his truly great 
mind. Before he went out, for the last time, to 
take the command of the Mediterranean fleet, 
he was obliged to dispose of such of his jewels as 
were not of a nature to be left to his family, as 
trophies to illustrate the titles conferred on him 
by his king, and the sovereigns in alliance with 
his country. These, including the rich chelengk 
of the Grand Seignior, and the sword of the 
King of Naples, he left to the Earl his brother, 
to descend with the title. 

To Lady Viscountess Nelson he bequeathed 
1000 pounds a year, in addition to her private 
fortune. His estate of Bronte, the revenue of 
which he laid out in improvements, under the 
direction of Mr. Gibbs, banker, at Palermo, he 
left, subject to a small legacy, to his brother 
now Earl Nelson. In his will he likewise ex' 
pressed a desire that his body should be in- 
terred by the side of his revered father, at 
Burnham Thorpe, unless his Majesty should be 
graciously pleased to direct otherwise. 
2 V 



346 PROFESSIONAL LIFE Of 

The pension of two thousand pounds a year, 
voted by parliament to Lord Nelson and the 
heirs male of his body, fell with him, as he 
had no children. His lordship affords an addi- 
tional instance to the many that might be ad- 
duced, of celebrated military characters who 
have died without issue. 

It was a singular circumstance, that the very 
day after his lordship had finished his mortal ca- 
reer, the honourable Mrs. Darner presented t® 
the common council ot the city of London an 
admirable bust of the hero, executed by her- 
self; little conscious that she was erecting the 
first public monument to his departed worth. 

The following pathetic lines, written by W. T. 
Fitzgerald, Esq. which so accurately express the 
sentiments of every British bosom, relative to 
the lamented Hero of these memoirs, are too ap* 
proprjate not to be introduced here. 

WHILE England beams one universal blaze. 

The faithful tribute of a nation's praise ! 

For naval deeds achiev'd, of high renown. 

And honours added to the British Crown, 

Js there a Briton's breast that does not beat 

At Nelson's triumph ! and the foe's defeat? 

However poor, he shares the gen'rous flame. 

And glows, exulting, at the Hero's name. 

Immortal Nelson ! here my throbbing heart. 

Swelling with sorrow, acts no borrow'd part. 

May I not say, and say it with a tear. 

That, wfth his death, the triumph's bought too dear ? 



LOTID NELSON. Ml 

B^t wIjo can murmur? Glorious was his doom; 
The heart of ev'ry Briton is his tomb ! 

The nation's fav'rite, and his Sov'reign's pride. 
He rul'd despotic Lord of Ocean*s tide ! 
Each coast reraember'd for some deed of fame. 
Was made illustrious by Great Nelson's name; 
Denmark, Iberia, Egypt's trophied shore. 
Heard the dread thunder of his cannon's roar! 
While laurels, won from evesy hostile fleet. 
He laid, in triumph, at his Monarch's feet; 
And Hist'ry ever shall record the day. 
Bright with his glory in Trafalgar's bay. 

In torrid climes where Nature pants for breath. 
Or tainted gales bring pestilence and death ; 
Where hurricanes are born, and whirlwinds sweep 
The raging billows of th* Atlantic deep. 
Nelson had sought, but long had sought in vain. 
The still retreating fleets of France and Spain ; 
When found, at last, he crush'd them on the flood. 
And seal'd the awful conquest— -with his blood ! 

Yes, as he liv'd, so did the hero fall — 
Crouch'd at his feet, he saw the humbled Gaul ; 
Saw hostile navies into ruins hurPd, 
And England's trident rule the wat'ry world ! 
Then did he, laurel-crown'd, and wrapp'd in fire. 
Upborne on Viet'ry's outspread wings — expire ! ! 
Suspended be the shouts that rend the skies — 
England's triumphant ! — but her Nelson diest 
A gratefu^l nation mourns her Hero dead. 
And 'dews with tears the laurels on his head! 
Laurels, for ever green ! for ever new ! 
Bequeath'd, with Nelson's dying breath, to you! 

FINIS. 



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